Unforeseen
by clouisewise
Summary: What happens when the insatiably curious human doctor and the ever-snarky valkyrie detective find themselves together?
1. Chapter 1

The first time Tamsin flirted with Lauren, it was benign. A small comment on the jeans she was wearing, simple and almost unrecognizable as flirting at all, if it wasn't for the valkyrie's mischievous eyes on her body for an uncomfortable amount of time. The second time was less benign, a ghost of a touch over Lauren's palm that went on that one long second longer than she was comfortable with as they exchanged files. She will swear up and down that she saw Tamsin wink at her, but there is no way to be sure now. The third, fourth, and fifth times, Lauren desperately avoided Tamsin's intense stare and shoo'd her off, feigning pressing work matters. After the detective sauntered out of the lab, all three times Lauren leaned against the door and chided herself for even being effected.

The sixth time was at The Dal. Bo and Kenzi were slamming shots at the bar while Lauren was shooting a game of pool by herself. She loved Bo, any and every one knew that. She had even grown to enjoy Kenzi's company, in small doses. But being an introvert by nature lead Lauren to seclude herself from the duo's more extroverted activities. Especially if drinking was involved. Sighing, the doctor lined up another shot and sent two balls rolling perfectly to their intended destination.

"Nice shot, doc."

The self-satisfied grin fell from Lauren's face as she turned to meet Tamsin's smiling eyes. The detective had two beers in her hands, and extended one to Lauren as she walked closer. Not knowing what to say, she accepted the beer. (But not before sneaking a glance at Bo - it was no secret that Bo had a pretty mean jealous streak. Not surprisingly though, she was too engrossed in laughing with her bestfriend at the bar to notice. Lauren was secretly thankful.)

"So did the succubitch not include you in her reindeer games tonight?"

The smirk on Tamsin's face and in her voice made Lauren both sick to her stomach and instantaneously interested. Why would Tamsin, a dark fae with no real history of ever being the slightest bit kind to humans, care that Lauren was playing pool by herself?

"I'm not much for the heavy intoxication", she replied quietly, eyeing the valkyrie as she picked up a pool cue and reset the table.

"Then why isn't your little girlfriend laying off the tanking and laying on the PDA?"

Leaving the answer at a simple 'hmm', they begin an easy and fluid game of pool. Laughing quietly amongst themselves, mostly at Tamsin's very vocal outrage at her inability to keep up, Lauren is surprised to admit that she is actually having a good time. By the time the game is over (Lauren being the clear and gracious victor, only rubbing it Tamsin's face a little bit), Lauren's single beer and Tamsin's three are gone. Lauren notices that Kenzi and Bo are starting to gather their things.

"Thank you for the beer, Tamsin", she wiggles the empty bottle for emphasis, "and the game of pool. Even if you are terrible."

Tamsin scowls, but Lauren can see the smile in her eyes.

"Whatever, doc. I'll get you next time."

Nodding, the doctor starts to walk towards the bar to collect the two very drunk ladies waiting for her there. Just before her back is fully turned, she hears her name. Slowly, she throws Tamsin glance over her shoulder.

"If it were me, I would choose losing at a stupid game of pool over getting blitzed at the bar." She pauses, shifting her gaze awkwardly. Even Lauren sensed the palpable out-of-character feelings Tamsin was emitting. "If it were me, that is."

All this happened before Bo had left her. Before they broke up and Lauren felt like her whole world was falling around her. And now that Bo was no longer in the picture, Lauren was dreading the next time Tamsin would flirt with her. Because, as a doctor, she knows she is grieving. As a doctor, she knows that grief might very easily translate to sexual desires. And as a women, she knows that Tamsin is attractive. And she might not be able to resist the valkyrie for very long.


	2. Chapter 2

Deciding to bottle her grief (and bottle the resulting guilt that comes with doing something she knows she shouldn't be), Lauren threw herself into her work. In the three weeks since Bo and her had broken up, the doctor had taken on more cases and done more research than she has in a long time. Today, she even managed to get straight through to lunch without a single tear. A few escaped in the break room, however, hushed and quickly wiped away with the back of her hand, but she'll take victories where she can get them these days.

Lauren is so immersed in her work that she doesn't hear the soft clicking of boots down the hallway leading to her office. She doesn't raise her head to acknowledge the soft knocks on her closed door, and doesn't notice when the taut figure of Tamsin fills the empty doorway, files in hand. She does, however, suddenly become painfully aware of the intruder when Tamsin behind to laugh. Loudly. Not being aware that the valkyrie was even there, Lauren spins around in her chair rather quickly to meet her with a shocked look on her face.

"Tamsin", she breathes out, more out of relief that it isn't Bo than anything else.

"What's up, Hotpants?"

"Hopan-", Lauren pauses and shakes her head. Kenzi. "Sorry that I didn't hear you come in. What can I do for you?"

The detective smirks and cocks her head to the side before walking up to Lauren and extending the red file folders to her.

"Got some street pizza from earlier today that Dyson wanted you to look at." Noticing Lauren's confused look, Tamsin elaborates. "This poor chump took a dive off a building in dark fae territory. And we have no idea why."

"I see." Lauren grabs the files from Tamsin, doing her best to ignore the gentle brush of soft fingertips against her palm, the subtle sweep of her body Tamsin's eyes do of her body.

Opening up the first of the few files, Lauren immediately makes note of things she needs to complete a thorough workup. If everything else in her life is falling apart, at least she can still doctor with the best of them.

"Could you ask Dyson to send the body here? I'm going to need a more extensive tox screen on this man - his hemoglobin looks off and there are certain breaks in his spinal column that aren't consistent with-"

"Okay, okay", Tamsin cuts her off, waving her hands in the air, "I get it. You need more. I'll tell the wolf man to send him over for you."

Lauren smiles, all too used to her tangents being ended for one reason or another. Someday, she'll learn to curb her desire to explain literally everything. Nodding, she goes to hand the files back to Tamsin. The valkyrie declines, pushing them back at her.

"Keep them. Look them over and bring them by The Dal later, alright doc? Around 8."

Lauren raises an eyebrow at her, but places the files on her desk.

"Alright. I'll see what I can gather from them and return them to you tonight."

"It's a date."

Tamsin winks, and before the doctor can formulate a reply, she's gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Lauren enters The Dal quietly, happy that there aren't many people there on this Tuesday evening. She notices Trick first, at his usual place behind the bar, and struggles to return his gentle smile – she is sure Bo and him have talked, and she isn't quite ready to hear what he has to say about the circumstances surrounding their break up. Avoiding the bartender's almost sympathetic gaze, she makes a bee-line to the pool tables, where she sees Tamsin playing a game with one of the few other fae in the otherwise empty bar.

"What's up, doc?", Tamsin says to her without raising her gaze from the shot she's trying to line up. She misses by a long shot, and Lauren actually lets out a chuckle, remember how terrible Tamsin is at pool.

"I have those files for you. I looked them over a little more closely – with the information I gather from the autopsy tomorrow I should be able to-"  
The valkyrie curses loudly as she misses another shot, causing the doctor to jump a little, and finally turns around to face Lauren. Grabbing the files from her hand and throwing them on her bag, Tamsin looks Lauren up and down not-so-subtly and raises an amused eyebrow at her.

"Seriously, Lauren? Go get us a couple of beers", she says as she hands the confused human some money, "and come back without the lab coat, and without all the doctor nonsense. This is a bar. Not your fancy little lab."

When Lauren returns with two beers in her hand, her lab coat in her bag, and as much doctoring off as she can stand, Tamsin simply smiles at her.

"Much better. Hard to see your ass with that thing in the way."

The remainder of the night went smoothly – the more Lauren drank, the more she allowed the valkyrie's rather tactless flirting. She can't say that she ever actually returned the flirting, but she definitely didn't deflect it as well as she would have if her head wasn't swimming like it was. That is, until Tamsin got behind Lauren to "help" her line up a shot. The doctor, ever the scientist, knew even in her inebriated state that the angle at which Tamsin was setting her at was a completely ineffective way to line up the shot, but with the warm and muscular body pressed tightly up against her own and the valkyrie's breath hot in her ear... Lauren just didn't seem to care (even when she missed the shot... by a lot). She even returned the favor, "helping" Tamsin line up her own shot later in the game, and thoroughly enjoying the delighted "fuck yes" she emitted when she actually sunk the it.

When the game was over, the bar was empty with the exception of Trick cleaning glasses at the bar and themselves, neither of them really knew what they wanted to do. Well, they knew what they wanted to do. But not if they should. They stood awkwardly, their eyes fixed on each others, until Lauren made a split second (more than likely alcohol induced) decision.

"Would you like to accompany me to the restroom, Tamsin?"

Eyebrow raised in her typical fashion, the valkyrie simply smirked and started heading in the direction of the small corridor that lead to the single-stall bathrooms. Through the hallway leading up to the restroom of the bar, they would appear to be strangers to any on-lookers (if there were any people left in the bar, that is). But the second the door closes behind them, Lauren spins around and grabs Tamsin's shoulders, and pushes her roughly against the wall. Tamsin laughs loudly before Lauren covers the valkyrie's mouth with her own; things progress more quickly than either of them probably expected it to, as Tamsin shrugs out of the doctor's tight grasp and raises her own hands to rip her blouse open (Lauren wants to protest as the buttons are flying in every direction, but the alcohol is making her head fuzzy and Tamsin's tounge isn't helping) and quickly flip the button on her dress slacks open before pulling them (and her panties) down to her ankles in one fluid motion.

This is different than it was with Bo. Different than it was with Nadia, or anyone even (not that Lauren has a ton of experience - just enough to know better). There's no foreplay, no teasing, no buildup outside the flirting and not-so-subtle grazes and looks they've been sharing all night.

Tamsin's fingers dig into her thighs, leaving half-moon marks in the pale flesh they find there. They don't kiss, her lips never touch the valkyrie's during, but Tamsin leaves sloppy evidence on Lauren's jaw and a trail between her breasts, across her taut stomach, over the indents from her fingers on her thighs. Everything is fast and relentless, Tamsin refuses to stop even after Lauren comes undone. She stood when she decided she is done - she pulls away from Lauren with a smirk on her face, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. The doctor, ever well composed, is still leaning against sink with her blouse torn open, dress slacks and panties hanging around her ankles, when Tamsin leaves the bathroom with nothing more than a chipper 'see ya around, doc'.  
When her legs stop shaking, and her breathing evens out, Lauren discovers that what she thought would make her feel better only makes her want to cry - not because of the roughness, the detached manner, not even because of who it was with. More so over the fact that she knows it will happen again than anything else.


	4. Chapter 4

"Dude."

For not at all the first time since her and Lauren have started doing… whatever it is they're doing since that night at The Dal 2 weeks ago… Tamsin walked straight into the doctor's home without knocking, hoping to blow some steam after a particularly frustrating day at work (working with Dyson was really starting to wear on her nerves… she's really going to have to stop throwing her phones out the window in an effort to avoid the brooding wolf man's calls), only to find her crying. This time, she was boxing up pictures from around the house – looks like she got about half way done before she broke down leaning against the kitchen counter. Even Tamsin had to admit, that was progress. She walked over to the other woman and gently put her hands on either side of her face. Lauren looked up at her but only for a second, averting her gaze as quickly as she could. Knowing that this was going to turn into it's usual Bo-centric lecture, Tamsin let out a huff in frustration.

"_Dude_."

More aggressively than she probably intended, the doctor shakes the valkyrie off of her. Without hesitation Tamsin returns her hands to Lauren's shoulders. She is not ready to do this again.

"Lauren", Tamsin began quietly, as gently as she could, "You have to cut this shit out. The succubus left you. Regardless of how _noble_ you think her intentions are, they're not, she_ left you_. Get over it."

For a long minute, the longest minute of Tamsin's life she thinks, Lauren is quiet. Her gaze is cast low, shoulders slumped in defeat. The valkyrie holds her stance, but removes her arms and crosses them, an eyebrow raised.

"She did it because she loves me", the doctor says quietly, still avoiding Tamsin's eyes.

The valkyrie, her rage getting the better of her, immediately raises her deceivingly strong arms to slam Lauren against the wall, not able to hold back her disgust at the doctor's blatant denial. How much longer was this going to go on?

"Loves you?", she spat.

Lauren actually looked scared for a second, and the grip Tamsin had on her shoulders loosened slightly, but she did not falter completely. She was going to make the other woman see just how foolish she was being if it was the last thing she did. But not for Lauren, no of course not, Tamsin was doing this for herself. She just couldn't stand to see the doctor so bummed anymore. It was cramping her style. (That's what she was telling herself, at least.)

"You don't understand. She couldn't control it, she is a succubus Tamsin. She has a hunger that I-"

"Hunger? You're blaming the fact that Bo broke up with you so she could act like this town was her own personal all you can eat buffet entirely on her hunger?"

Lauren just looks at her, tears threatening to spill but would never dare, not here, not in front of the valkyrie.

"How about that she just didn't love you the way you love her? How about you tried to tie down a fucking_ succubus_ and – surprise! - it didn't work out?"

"You wouldn't understand Tamsin", the doctor says, her voice dripping with blatant anger, "You _can't_."

"You don't think I understand hunger, Lauren? Really? You don't know anything about me!"

"And you don't know anything about me!", Lauren yelled back, choking on a sob that wracked her whole body before she finally gave in. The tears fell freely and Tamsin, ever unable to handle such emotional displays, let her grip loosen enough that she accidentally let Lauren go completely. She slid down the wall and into a puddle of herself on the floor, her head in hands. Slowly, Tamsin lowered herself to a knee. She looked at Lauren until the doctor raised her eyes to meet her gaze. When she spoke, she was quiet. Measured. Lauren can almost taste the uncertainty on the words, the confusion. The nerves.

"I know that every Thursday you eat the same thing for dinner. Because it reminds you of your parents."

Lauren sniffles, and Tamsin knows she should stop now before she gets out of hand but for fuck's sake, the poor hopeless lovestruck doctor is starting to stop crying and she just needs it to end before she loses it completely and storms out, all hopes of the night going where she wanted it to out of the question.

"Your favorite color is blue. And for some god awful reason roses are actually your favorite flower. I know that you're a walking cliche sometimes, seriously, and that you secretly ate up that damsel in distress bullship - it's almost entertaining."

The detective senses Lauren shift, and decides maybe now isn't the time to be quipy. (Tamsin almost can't believe it - usually she relies on her snarky attitude in these situations. Her smirk falls and she sobers her expression a bit.)

"You have seen war. And I really_ really_ understand that."

Taking a steadying breath, Tamsin decided to take a seat on the floor in front of Lauren.

"Your middle name is Michelle, after your grandmother. You hate cats. And the smell of limes."

The doctor's lips are pulled up into an almost smile, and the tears have stopped. Her soft brown eyes look interested, and inherently less sad.

"I know your favorite restaurant in town, and what you order when you go there, where you hide those trashy romance novels you think no one knows about - you're a terrible liar, by the way - and that you are a cheater at pool."

She is still smiling now, and Tamsin can't help but feel a rush of relief. (Maybe a little quip was okay.) She isn't one for emotional displays, she never has been. Out of all the lifetimes the valkyrie has lived, she has loved and lost - sure - but she has never attached. She has never absorbed. This thought both terrifies and disgusts her (though she will only ever admit to the latter). Although she is convincing herself she will hate it, and that she will regret it in the morning, Tamsin helps Lauren stand and leads her to the bedroom. Lauren asks her if she wants to stay, but the valkyrie refuses and practically runs out of the house.

She needs to go to the gym. And beat the shit out of something. Out of anything, really. She's probably just feeling so emotional because she had a long day, she reasons. Yeah. She only went over to see the doc because she wanted to fuck, not because she actually wanted to see her. Yeah, yeah that's it. She just said all that stuff because she can't handle people crying, she physically can not handle any emotions, like with Dyson on the roof last year or when Kenzi was kidnapped by the kitsune. She just said all the stuff because she wanted to get the doc to stop crying, she wanted to try to salvage the night and get the doctor to bed so it wasn't a completely wasted trip over. The valkyrie slams her foot down on the pedal of her car as she speeds towards the gym.

Yeah, that's all right. That's why she's so frustrated now. Nothing to do with the actually doctor herself, that would be foolish.

Right?


	5. Chapter 5

Tamsin is torn from her restless sleep by her new cellphone ringing. Without opening her eyes, she feels around the nightstand for the phone, cursing under her breath as her bruised knuckles brush against the hard wood. Maybe that trip to the gym last night after leaving the doctor's was actuallynot such a good idea. She could have at least used the punching bags and _not_ the lockers.

Looking at the caller ID, the valkyrie groans loudly and let's her head fall back against the pillow. She is totally committed to just ignoring this particular phone call, and almost let's it go to voicemail. But, she throws her hand out from under the blanket last second and answers the phone, probably sounding a little more breathless and annoyed than she meant to.

"It's 8 am on my _only_ day off,doctor. What in the world couldn't possibly wait until a more reasonable time? Like _noon_?"

"I'm sorry, Tamsin", she can hear the laughter in her voice but at least Lauren sounds sincere, "I just wanted to let you know I've already completed the autopsy on your John Doe. Your report is ready to be picked up. I can call Dyson, if you'd prefer?"

The valkyrie groans again. She knows she should go back to sleep – she knows that this day off is well-deserved after the 70 hour work week she just struggled through, and she will never forgive herself if she actually gets up for something as foolish as picking up a report that Dyson could get much easier than she could. He even lives close to the compound where Lauren's fancy lab is. Yeah, she doesn't need to go. She_ won't_. She _deserves_ to go back to sleep.

"No, no that's fine. I don't want his paws all over _my_ case. I'll be there in an hour."

True to her word, Tamsin pulls her car up to the compound almost exactly one hour later. Still half asleep and desperately needing a cup of coffee, the valkyrie slams her forehead down on the steering wheel (thankfully avoiding the horn) one time in an effort to get her head in the game. She needs to be cranked to 11 if she wants to put last night's embarrassment behind her. Avoiding the gaze of every fae in the building, Tamsin keeps her eyes on the ground as she walks to Lauren's lab. The doctor is in her usual spot at her computer, typing away and of course not noticing the visitor until Tamsin clears her throat loudly. Lauren looks up from her computer, still typing, and smiles at the valkyrie (who swears up and down that the increase in her heart rate is definitely due to the fact that the temperature in the lab seems to be getting higher by the second).

"Tamsin", Lauren says in greeting, still smiling. She raises from her work station and grabs the file that was sitting under her laptop. "I have the report here. You were right – there was definitely some fae involvement. I'm thinking a gachnar lead him to jump."

She accepts the file as Lauren walks closer and hands it to her, her fingers lingering a second longer than they should have, out of habit. Shit. The doctor actually _blushes_ and looks away. _Shit_.

"Good, good", Tamsin says as she clears her throat and begins to read the file, "I'll get this to Dyson and we'll, uh, we'll take care of it. Thanks, doc."

"I actually got him a copy already. I faxed it to the precinct."

The valkyrie eyes the doctor up and down, surprised that she would fax him the file at all. Especially because it contains some pretty fae-heavy information – Lauren is usually more careful about that kind of stuff. One rule and all. As if the doctor actually senses Tamsin's distress, she smiles at her.

"He was standing right by the machine when I sent it. I know better."

Tamsin smiles back and nods quickly, gives her quick thanks, and turns on her heel to leave. That coffee needs to happen sooner rather than later. Also, maybe another trip to the gym is in order. Cause, you know, this case is pretty stressful. Yeah, definitely the stress.

"Wait, Tamsin", Lauren's voice causes the detective to turn slowly, "let me take you to breakfast. Since I woke you up so early on your day off."

_Shit_. No way. There is no way she is going to let the doctor take her to breakfast. That's a date type thing, that's not something you do with the girl you're just fucking, for fun, the girl you don't really care that much about, the girl that's looking at her with smiling and hopeful eyes. Not with _Lauren_. No _way_.

"Yeah, I guess that's fair."


	6. Chapter 6

Lauren and Tamsin walk to the ma-and-pa diner that down the street from the precinct, where Tamsin decided to stop before her apology breakfast to let Dyson know where a few known gachnar hangouts were – all on Dark fae territory, of course, but she wasn't going to ruin _all_ the fun for him. They enter and are immediately greeted by a nice older woman, who sits them in a secluded booth in the corner of the diner. She takes their order (Lauren, a sensible parfait; Tamsin, a cup of coffee, hashbrowns, eggs, bacon, sausage, and pancakes) and leaves them to chat. At first they talked about work, the weather; the usual 'acquaintance' chatter. But after the usual stuff is worn out they sit in a surprisingly comfortable quiet – that is until Lauren clears her throat and breaks the silence.

"How did you know all that stuff about me, Tamsin? How do you know things about me that B-", the doctor catches herself, rolling her eyes to the ceiling as she painfully swallows the name back down, "that people who have known me for _far _longer don't seem to know?"

The valkyrie is quiet, impressed that the doctor bit back the name without so much as a single tear. She really _was _getting better. Tamsin takes a steadying breath. Should she lie? Should she change the subject? Use her quip to turn the tables? Get up and run? Or should she just tell Lauren that, for some Odin forsaken reason, she is actually interested in the doctor? Interested in her habits, in the things she likes and doesn't like, in the way she dresses? Interested especially in the way she looks; in the way she raises her left eyebrow more than the right when she's concerned, in the wrinkle in her brow she gets when she's thinking to hard, the way she plays with her pendent when she is worlds away, in her deep brown eyes with the lighter brown freckles in them, in her room-brightening smile?

"What? Never had a stalker before, doc?"

Lauren doesn't falter, she simply leans forward a little more in the booth across from Tamsin. The detective almost spits out her coffee when Lauren reaches her hand out and gently wraps the soft fingers around her wrist in an almost supportive way. She looks down at the hand there, fighting back the smile as she thinks of how alien they seem now – she is familiar with Lauren's hands (_very _familiar), but not like this. Not in a way so gentle, so... caring. So... not-inside-her. The fact that she hasn't ever thought of the doctor's hands in any other way than a sexual one is a calming thought. Maybe she really doesn't care for the doctor? Maybe it was all just... lapse of judgment.

_Shit_.

"Tamsin. _Please_."

"Is it so hard to believe that if someone actually listens to you when you're talking? Is it _so _hard to believe that all those stories that you tell me when you think I'm not paying attention, I actually _kind of _listen to?" Tamsin leans forward and meets Lauren's determined gaze with her own. The doctor is quiet but doesn't avert her eyes; she's obviously trying to tell if Tamsin is telling the truth or not. The detective expects Lauren to start arguing, to turn her doctor on and use some logic bullshit to try to poke holes in her albeit angry-sounding explanation. However, she does not. She simply leans back and takes a steadying breath of her own before crossing her arms across her chest and almost smiling as she speaks.

"You hate the color orange."

"Whate-", Tamsin stops mid words when she realizes Lauren isn't going to argue, "Wait, what?"

"You dislike the color orange. Your favorite movie is Mean Girls and you actually love Legally Blonde, but you'll never actually admit that. You also really like Beyonce but-"

"Okay okay, doc, enough with the embarrassing stuff." Tamsin lets out a puff of frustration, looking around to make sure no one has been listening.

"Just let me, okay? Let me do this."

Lauren sounds firm. Tamsin notes that she also sounds scared. So, against her better judgement, Tamsin leans back in the booth and nods for the doctor to continue.

"I just- I know things about you too. I don't want you to think that I'm in this just because we f-", Lauren rolls her eyes upwards again and quiets her voice, "that because we are_ involved _in a mainly physically relationship that I'm not... not interested in you as a person as well."

"I'm not as forthcoming with my personal details as you are, doc, the only reason you know that Mean Girls is my favorite movie is because it came on the other day and I made you stop _fucking _me so I could watch it."

Lauren swallows visibly when Tamsin uses the word fuck in public, as she always does (the totally opposite reaction to what she has when Tamsin calls it that in the bedroom... or the car... or on the kitchen counter... or the bathroom...), and Tamsin smiles knowing she can at least _sound _like she's not attached.

"But- but I know other things about you, Tamsin. I know that you like 3 sugars in your coffee and hate cream. I know that you're beautiful. An-And I know that... that I want to know more about you. If that's okay."

They are quiet, not breaking eye contact. They both know this is a terrible idea. They don't know that they're being stupid. That they've been being stupid. But when Tamsin smiles at Lauren, when the valkyrie leans forward and takes the doctor's hands in her own, neither of them cares.

"Are you asking me out, Lauren?"

"Well", she looks unsure at first, eyes darting around the diner, but steels her jaw and squares her shoulders as she returns her gaze to Tamsin, "yes. I am."

"Guess that means you're taking me out to dinner tonight, huh doc?"


	7. Chapter 7

Their first fight happened on a Thursday night. Tamsin had decided to come over to Lauren's for her weekly spaghetti dinner, and was secretly planning to actually spend the night for the first time since their casual little relationship began a month ago. (There have been lots of meetings on neutral ground, lots of clothing discarded in alleyways, bathrooms, and cars, lots of 'remembering' something she forgot at home or at Tamsin's that for some reason they _both_ had to go retrieve in the middle of the day or while at The Dal with the usual gang. But as of yet, no sleepovers.) All was going smoothly until that 6th glass of wine late in the evening and the doctor slipped up, calling Tamsin 'Bo' while her fingers traced soft circles on her hip. At first the valkyrie wasn't upset - she even laughed - but then in happened a second time. And, much later, while Tamsin was leaving sloppy drunken kisses on Lauren's neck as she came down from her climax, the doctor slurred 'Bo' yet again. And Tamsin couldn't bite back her anger - mostly due to the alcohol, she is sure. (And, though she will deny it to this very day, due in part to the fact that the valkyrie's feelings were actually hurt.)

"Really, Lauren?"

The doctor was quite obviously admonishing herself immediately, and looked up at Tamsin with apologetic eyes as the valkyrie tore herself away.

"I- I'm sorry", she rolled her eyes up to the ceiling as she often does when she is embarrassed or nervous, "I appear to be quite drunk."

"Oh. So next time we're drinking together I should prepare for you to pretending that I'm the succubitch while I'm fucking you?"

"Tamsin-"

"Should I dress more like her, Lauren? Maybe go buy some more leather, get a boob job?"

"Tamsin. _Stop_", Lauren looks up at her again, even more apology in her eyes now than before, "please."

The valkyrie takes a fast step towards her and pins her against the wall. She lowers her lips to just a breath away from Lauren's ear and whispers.

"Go ahead, Lauren; fuck me like you _wish_ you could fuck the succubus."

The detective's words burn Lauren's ears as they hit. The doctor is quiet. Tamsin almost backed down when she pulled away and noticed the fire in her eyes; the ever composed woman hardly ever let her anger show (for a long while, Tamsin wondered if the doctor even ever got angry). When Tamsin heard the ire in Lauren's voice, she immediately questioned going this route.

"Fuck you, Tamsin."

But just because she knew it wasn't a good idea doesn't mean she stopped. For a centuries war maiden who has seen things beyond your imagination... she sure felt dumb sometimes. (And she knew instantly that once she was sober enough to feel it, the regret would be palpable.)

"No Lauren. Fuck _Bo_. Come on", the valkyrie slid her already unbuttoned jeans down her toned legs. Lauren's eyes drank in every inch of exposed skin but kept her jaw steeled. "Fuck me like you wish you could be fucking her."

The next several hours were a violent whirlwind; Lauren slammed Tamsin against the kitchen counter, knocking over glasses and a collection of research notes in the process but not caring enough to even acknowledge them. She was angry and uncaring about the entire ordeal – she bit and scratched, drawing blood and bruising the valkyrie in her most intimate places – but Tamsin returned every bite, scratch, kick and slap to Lauren as hard as it was given. If not harder. (She did ask her one time, as she bit into Lauren's shoulder while she was thrusting unforgivingly in and out of her against the counter, if she was being too rough for her. The doctor simply replied by roughly covering the valkyrie's mouth with her own and biting her bottom lip, not stopping until blood was drawn then pulling back smiling, a laugh bubbling from the doctor's throat as Tamsin came undone around her fingers. Tamsin did not ask again.)

The next morning, Lauren was immediately aware of two things as soon as her eyelids painfully fluttered open. One, she was alone. Two, she felt _terrible_. Too many glasses of wine had taken it's toll on the doctor in a way she hasn't experienced since her undergrad days, when her and Nadia would throw parties in their first tiny apartment together and drink way more beer than they should have.

Groaning as she rolled over, the doctor slowly sat up and attempted to stretch her sore muscles. Arms and legs full of lead, it seemed, the sheet-clad women trudged over to the bathroom to start drawing a bath (in an attempt to alleviate at least a fraction of the soreness she feels). Appraising herself in the mirror, Lauren actually shudders at the reflection staring back at her - the bite marks and bruises that cover her chest and thighs are almost bad enough to distract her from the long scratches down her forearms and across her shoulders, still crusty with dried blood.

"Long sleeves today", she mumbles out loud to no one in particular. She can at least take solace in the fact that the valkyrie probably fared no better.

Shit.

_Tamsin_.

Lauren sits on the edge of her bathtub and drops her head into her hands. How in the world was she going to even attempt to talk to Tamsin about what happened?

Still filled with anguish after her long bath, Lauren slowly descends the stairs in desperate need of a glass of water. She was too focused on the soreness in her muscles, then in the situation with Tamsin, to even acknowledge the pounding in her head until now. The doctor is actually surprised at what she sees as she clears the final step and drags her eyes towards the kitchen counter (noticing along the way that her living room and kitchen have been cleaned). Sitting there in the middle next to the sink is a beautiful bouquet of flowers (roses, to be exact), a small note, and (most importantly to Lauren at the time) a very large glass of water. She approaches and greedily downs the entire glass before picking up and unfolding the small index card; there, scribbled in Tamsin's almost unreadable handwriting (Lauren hypothesizes that this is due to thousands of years of trying to adapt to varying language styles... but that is a thought for a different day), it says simply "Sorry". Regret settles in Lauren's chest, taking the small note as a sign for the worst. But, as she goes to steady her suddenly wobbly legs against the counter, she notices more scribbling on the back of the index card – there, in the same barely-legible scribbling, it reads "Call me when you get up, hotpants".


	8. Chapter 8

Lauren spent the next few hours doing her best to beat the hangover from last night - and losing. 13 glasses of water later she decided to call the lab and feign sickness (she didn't have clothing that would cover the reminders from last night anyways; she was nowhere near ready to answer those questions). She battled nerves on the couch, trying to distract herself with a documentary on the History channel, but finally lost her focus around 2 in the afternoon. Sighing, Lauren picked up her cell and called Tamsin. When the valkyrie didn't answer, she panicked for a split second - she then remembered how often Tamsin 'misplaced' (broke) her cellphone, and decided to call her office number. Lauren had only done this once, for a case they we're working together right when they're little trust first began, and prayed to whatever God or Goddess there might be to have Tamsin pick up and not Dyson. Luckily, only 3 short rings later, Tamsin picked up the phone (Lauren released a breath she didn't know she was holding when she heard the valkyrie's voice).

"Tamsin." The detective said, sounding very professional. As if Lauren wasn't already nervous enough.

"Tamsin. It's me. Uh, Lauren. Hi."

"Doctor Lewis", Tamsin glanced up at Dyson to be sure he wasn't listening too closely. No one knew about her and Lauren's 'relationship', and for now, she knew they we're both content with that fact. Satisfied that he was fully engrossed in the file he was reading, the valkyrie leaned back in her chair. "What can I do for you today?"

"I- well, I think you should let me take you out", Lauren blurted out without thinking, her nerves getting the better of her, "To dinner and maybe drinks and we could talk about what happened, or not, its up to you, I just feel like-"

"Hotpants. You're rambling", the valkyrie sing-songed at the doctor, fighting the smile on her face. Dyson eyed her from over the file he was reading but he knew better than to say something (she was sure that he could smell the doctor on her all the time, the same way she is positive Bo can sense the sexual energy that flies between them when they are all together – luckily, as of yet, no one has said anything).

"I just want to take you out and treat you in an attempt to make up for how unbelievably terrible last night was", Lauren breathes out.

Tamsin leaned forward, head in her hand as she sighed into the receiver. She shot Dyson a look, who rolled his eyes but got up and headed towards the coffee; she makes a mental note that maybe he isn't so bad after all. At least now he's not brooding as badly as he used to.

"Yeah. It_ was_ pretty terrible", she subconsciously tugs on collar of her hoodie, remembering the bite marks its hiding "But that, uh, sounds good. Let's hit a bar, the one by my place? Everyone will be at The Dal tonight, according to Dyson."

There is an uncomfortable silence between them, and for no reason at all Tamsin gets nervous. She is about to recant her offer, wondering if the mention of Dyson threw the doctor for an unexpected loop, when she finally replies. When Lauren speaks, she is quiet and nervous, her voice shaking.

"We, uh, we should go there. The Dal, I mean."

Tamsin must have looked like she was choking on something because Dyson came up and slapped her on the middle of her back on time. Hard. She yelped and glared up and Dyson, who silently apologized and goes back to wandering around the precinct.

"Are you _serious_, Lauren? When I say everyone is going to be there tonight I really do mean_ everyone_. Dyson, Hale, Kenzi... Bo."

On the other side of the line Lauren was playing with the bottom of the sleep shorts she was still wearing. Of course she knew this could end terribly. Of course she was aware of the backlash she could get from everyone. Especially Hale - she was still technically a ward of The Ash and surely running around with a dark fae (one of The Morrigan's favorites no less) was to be frowned upon. Not to mention that Bo would be there; in the past that alone was reason enough to stay at home. But as Lauren caught sight of Tamsin's favorite blue leather jacket sitting on her desk, and glanced up at the beautiful roses on her kitchen counter, she realized she didn't really care about all that. She just wanted to make it up to Tamsin; she _needed_ to.

"I want to show my girlfriend off. Do you have a problem with that, detective?"

Tamsin smirks at the word. They never used any qualifiers for their relationship, in fact they both _actively _avoided it. Just like they actively avoiding the group finding out about them. But hearing it now... Tamsin actually liked the sound of it. (She'll never admit it out loud, lest her intentions be tainted by it, but she can't _wait_ to see the look on Bo's face when her and Lauren walk into the bar together – this time they won't be trying to hide all that sexual energy between them. Surely the succubitch will pick up on that. Quickly.)

"A problem?", Tamsin smirks again, "Not at all."


	9. Chapter 9

Hey hi! I just wanted to let ya'll know that this chapter is pretty short, but there's a reason! I had written a MUCH longer version of this but decided to split it because my segue was just awful and I couldn't fix it to make myself happy with it. The next chapter will be up SOON; it's already almost done. Enjoy. :)

* * *

After a lax simple day at the precinct, Tamsin bid Dyson a simple "see you later" (to which he raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything) and sped out the door to go home and prepare for her and Lauren's big 'debut'. Showering quickly, and spending more time than she cares to admit picking an outfit (finally deciding on her tightest jeans, a nice drapey top, and a blazer), she heads out the door just as fast as she flew in. Within minutes the valkyrie pulled up to the Light compound where Lauren's quarters were, and slowly sauntered up the her door. She only needed to knock once (Lauren was far too nervous to do anything but pace just inside the front door) before it was pulled open, revealing something that made both of Tamsin's eyebrows shoot up into her hairline; Lauren was wearing a simple tight red dress, clinging to all the right places and hanging off just where it should, with her hair loosely curled and flowing over her shoulders. Tamsin stuttered a few seconds before laughing despite herself; Lauren smirked along with her, not needing any sort of fae powers to pick up on the spike in sexual energy coming off the other woman in droves. Not risking any further embarrassment, the _ever _eloquent Tamsin simply extended her hand to Lauren, who took it happily and was lead to the valkyrie's car.

Unlike her frantic driving to Lauren's previously, the detective took her time to drive to The Dal; they fell into a comfortable silence and enjoyed the droning of the radio songs while Tamsin played with Lauren's fingertips over the center counsel of her old Jeep. When they parked in the alley behind the bar, Tamsin sensed Lauren's nerves start to jitter just a little more than they were previously, but thought nothing of it. That is until Lauren grabbed Tamsin's shoulder just outside the door of The Dal, ceasing the clicking of both of their heels against the tarmac. The valkyrie turned around and eyed the doctor suspiciously, raising an eyebrow in lieu of actually asking her why they weren't walking in the bar now, chins raised confidently as the happy sunshine gang reeled from the shock.

"Maybe we _shouldn't _do this. Maybe, maybe it's too soon. I don't want to get either of us in trouble, surely this will get back to The Morrigan _and_ The Ash. The_ Ash_! Hale is in there _right now_! Oh my _God_, what was I _thinking_?"

Tamsin fully spins around and places her hands firmly on either of Lauren's hips, expertly catching her nervous and wandering gaze. When the worried mumbles stop pouring out of the doctor's mouth, Tamsin presses her lips against the other woman's; it was soft, gentle, and easily the least needy and aggressive kiss the pair has ever shared. It takes Lauren's brain a second to realize that Tamsin is, for the first time she can think of, simply kissing her to convey reassurance. Affection, even. When the two separate, the valkyrie is smiling - not smirking, _smiling_ - and Lauren's eyes are still closed, lips parted. When her eyelids flutter open, those soft brown eyes meeting Tamsin's sharp green, Lauren's nerves (and Tamsin's too, though she won't admit it) disappeared.

"Time to head inside, doctor. I'm going to let you buy me a drink."

Lauren smiles at Tamsin, still an emotional wreck (but at least a wreck that's manageable now), then raises an eyebrow. The valkyrie shrugs before placing another quick kiss on her lips and tugging her towards the front door.

"Or seven. You can buy me seven drinks."


	10. Chapter 10

Okay so here's the dealio, friends. My life is a jumble of nonsense these days - I'm in my last semester of pre-med, learning all kinds of doctory things only a certain Lauren Lewis would care to hear about, and preparing to go to basic training for the Navy in a few months. Basically, I'm mad busy. And I get overzealous and excited and promise updated all the time and I feel terrible because I can never follow through haha. Just know that I will update! And frequently! Just, not as often as I'd like.

Also, a few people have pointed out to me gramattical/spelling errors. Like I said, I have a lot going on and try to proof-read a little before I post but then back to being overzealous. On top of running out of time. When and if I get the time in the near future I promise I will go back and touch the chapters up. :)

Enjoy~! Thank you so much for reading!

* * *

Fingers still intertwined, the pair enter The Dal; Tamsin is slightly ahead of Lauren, with her chin held high, a challenging grin on her face. Stopping just inside the door, the valkyrie surveys the crowd - the happy sunshine gang is at the bar, laughing amongst themselves and definitely not noticing the couple at first. Lauren squeezes her hand lightly; Tamsin looks back at her and flashes a genuine smile in an attempt to ease her nerves, which is returned in full. They make their way to a corner spot by the pool table, Tamsin ignoring Lauren's silent pleas to avoid walking past the group on the way.

Hale notices them first, and begins to waves until he notices their hands, still connected. With a raise of an eyebrow, he lowers his hand and offers them a tight smile instead. Dyson, who was sitting across from Hale with his back turned to them, spins on his stool and almost falls off when Tamsin winks at his slackjawed expression. By the time they finally make it through the crowded bar to the intended table, the entire group is gawking at them (Lauren is thoroughly embarrassed, but hasn't said anything yet to raise Tamsin's concerns - even when Bo's jaw visibly dropped at the sight of them, or when Kenzi dropped a rather snide comment about the pair).

"Talk about making an entrance", Lauren mumbles as they sit down. Tamsin notes that her cheeks are red but she still returns the valkyrie's smile - its strange for her to be so concerned about the doctor's emotions (or anyone's emotions at all), so she doesn't read into it when she silently promises herself that if Lauren seems to really be struggling, they'll leave. No questions asked.

"You know what, doc?", Tamsin says as she reaches for her hand across the table and grabs the doctor's, "This isn't about them. Though I can't say I'm not flattered by all the attention."

Lauren smiles, her warm brown eyes sparking. She peers around the valkyrie and catches Bo's intense stare from her place across the bar. Without exchanging a single word, Lauren can tell that Bo is pissed. Very pissed. It honestly improved her mood to just know that something as simple as walking in to The Dal holding the hand of another woman (albeit an incredibly _beautiful _other woman) would send the succubus off on a tangent. The doctor returns her eyes to Tamsin, who laughs before continuing.

"This is about me and you, Lauren. Me and you and _lots_ of beer."

They were able to avoid leaving their own little bubble by the pool table for a little while, chatting amongst themselves, holding hands over the table, sneaking kisses when they could (when the group was too engrossed in loudly drinking to be paying attention to them too closely); but Tamsin could only be in a bar for so long without cashing in her promise of free drinks. Lauren happily handed her some money, conceding to the agreement she didn't know she agreed to, and Tamsin bounced off to the bar to order herself a couple of beers.

"Officer Slamsin!"

Tamsin whirled around with her two beers in hand (both for her, of course; _someone_ had to drive home tonight and it sure as hell wasn't going to be her), to smile at Dyson.

"Wolfbreath."

He extended his large fist and playfully punched her shoulder.

"So what brings you to our Light little neck of the woods this evening? Thought you'd be spending your Friday night in a seedy _dark_ bar, losing at pool and picking fights."

The valkyrie smiles and cocks her head. She wonders if the surge of confidence she is feeling is a good or bad thing - deciding that she really didn't care, she returned his play punch (probably a little harder than she intended) before speaking with a sparkle in her eyes.

"My _girlfriend_ is treating me to some drinks tonight. And for some reason she's partial to all you weirdos."

"Girlfriend?", Kenzi quips from behind Dyson's massive body, her bright blue eyes barely visible from behind his shoulder. Bo, who had been quietly nursing the same shot since the pair entered the bar, immediately slams it down before getting up, and makes a bee line for where Lauren is sitting - despite Kenzi's adamant protests. Sensing some ill will, Tamsin goes to turn and follow her without so much as a goodbye, but Dyson places a surprisingly gentle hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Just let her."

Suspiciously looking him up and down, Tamsin reluctantly takes the seat between Hale and Dyson. She didn't take her eyes off the succubus walking up to her girlfriend, though.

"_So_...", Dyson sing-songs, "Tell me everything, Tamsin."

**********

"Lauren."

Bo's words force Lauren to pull her eyes up from the glass of water she'd snagged earlier in the evening. Her first reaction was fear - fear of what this first conversation with the succubus since their break up might entail - and then, for some reason, guilt - guilty because here she is across from her _very_ convincing ex while her current girlfriend is at the bar collecting drinks for their _date_. Thankfully, she catches Tamsin's eyes from across the bar and receives a small nod and a tight smile. Lauren turns her attention back to Bo, putting on the mask of cool professionalism that she knows so well.

"Hello, Bo."

Bo sits down across from Lauren in the seat previously filled by Tamsin, and drums her fingers awkwardly on the tabletop whilst eying Lauren up and down.

"How, uh", Bo clears her throat awkwardly before plastering a too-big smile on her face, "how are you?"

"I'm doing very well, thank you." The words come out and for a second Lauren is in disbelief that is actually _isn't_ a lie. "And you? How have you been?"

"I've been great!", she answers too quickly. "_So_ great. The greatest."

Lauren smiles back at her, feeling too uncomfortable to really continue to conversation much. They sit in silence for a while, avoiding eye contact as much as possible and busying their hands with anything they can get to. Bo is the one who finally speaks up, almost too quiet to hear over the music playing in the bar.

"So. Tamsin, huh? I thought I saw something between you two but didn't think you would actually _act _on it. Once you go fae you never go back?"

The succubus' attempt at a smug joke only frays the doctor's nerves more. Unable to decide on being angry with Bo, or crying, or storming out of the bar all together, she sends a pleading look to the valkyrie - Tamsin looks at Dyson, who had been keeping a keen ear on the conversation for her, before mumbling 'that's my cue'. She saunters up to the pair, happy to see Lauren's features soften a bit as she got close. Bo doesn't notice her presence until Tamsin lowers her face to just a breath above her ear.

"Hey there succu-Bo", she whispers. Bo jumps a little in her seat but remains composed.

"Tamsin. Nice to see you."

Already on her fourth beer, the valkyrie decides she doesn't have time for patience or pleasantries. She gave the two a chance to talk but as far as she's concerned, talking time with everyone's favorite little fae is over.

"You're in my seat."

Bo steels her jaw and raises her chin to Tamsin, obviously not ready to end her chat with Lauren. She settles visibly into the seat before speaking.

"I'm sorry, Tamsin, I didn't realize you were so protective of your _flings_", Bo turns to Lauren, "Honestly Lauren you're smarter than this."

The valkyrie, rage and alcohol bubbling inside her, leans forward so that her and Bo's noses are almost touching.

"If you do not move your leather clad ass from this chair so that I can sit with my _girlfriend_, I will move it for you."

Bo's jaw drops at the use of the word girlfriend - surely, she thinks, Tamsin can not be serious. She again turns to Lauren, completely ignoring the woman a mere breath away from her face.

"Seriously Lauren? You're going to let her convince you that you're _special _to her? She's _dark_, Lauren, she's bad news."

Lauren would have replied, would have told Bo how wrong she was, told her how much the valkyrie means to her, how coming to this bar tonight was to show everyone that she was happy with someone other than Bo, then would have ask her to leave, to never speak ill of either of them again, to go fuck off even - if she had had the chance. But before she could say a single word Tamsin made good on her threat and swiftly lifted Bo up by her throat from the chair. She was prepared to throw her, presumably into the nearby pool table, but luckily Dyson swooped in just in time to grab both women by their wrists.

"Okay! Enough!"

His booming voice caused Bo to stop screaming profanities and threats, and Tamsin to drop the writhing succubus roughly on her free. They both looked down, like children being lectured.

"Bo, you're going home. Now. Kenzi is outside."

She began to protest but decided it was a fruitless effort with the wolf; sending daggers at Tamsin one last time, and an almost pleading look at Lauren, she left the bar. He then turned his attention to Tamsin, putting both of his massive hands on her slender shoulders and catching her gaze - she had told him everything, every little detail about how and why the doctor and her had started this relationship, about she felt for her, and he was compelled to be on her side. He did love Bo, though, he always would, and he couldn't allow a disturbance like this in Trick's bar, so he had to put his foot down.

"Tamsin. You can not just go around picking people up by their throats. This is a neutral bar, a place of sanctuary - bar fights and brawling won't fly here. _Especially_ with Bo. I cannot allow it."

She shrugs him off, and averts her eyes, but nods at him. Satisfied that the valkyrie will behave, he smiles at Lauren and offers them both congratulations on their new relationship before leaving the bar to find and calm the angry succubus. Tamsin, eyes down and scowling like a grounded teenager, takes her seat across from Lauren. The valkyrie is almost surprised when the first thing she hears isn't another lecture, or tears even – it's Lauren laughing happily. When Tamsin looks up at her, her green eyes confused, Lauren quickly leans across the table and catches her lips in an all too short, but passionate, kiss.

"Well", the doctor says, still laughing a little as they pull back, "that went better than expected."


	11. Chapter 11

In the month since the couple's less than perfect (but definitely more than awful) debut at The Dal, Lauren had made a very precarious peace work between Bo and herself. With Bo teaming up with Dyson more (which Lauren didn't read too much into, but every once in a while it nagged at the back of her mind – not so much out of jealousy, but more so out of knowing that she was always just an in between step for the succubus), she had been needing the doctor's help more and more. That peace meant easier times for her and Tamsin, too, which they thoroughly enjoyed – they went out more, to The Dal, to police functions, and on more than one occasion to group nights out with the 'happy sunshine gang' (Lauren asked Tamsin to stop calling them that to their faces, which she begrudging agreed to – she preferred to chipperly refer to them as weirdos anyways).

This particular afternoon, Tamsin was lounging on Lauren's comfy couch doing a crossword while the doctor happily bounced around the kitchen. The valkyrie, the least observant detective Lauren swears to have ever met, doesn't look up from her newspaper through pots and pans clattering, thought timers going off, or to Lauren's directionless mumbling about the effects of her chosen baking ingredients on one another. She does however very lazily look over her shoulder when she hears Lauren opening the closet by the door to get a coat out and grabbing her keys.

"Where ya going, doc?"

Lauren smiles, and holds up a tupperware container filled with freshly baked cupcakes – so that's what she's been up to this whole time, Tamsin thinks.

"It's Kenzi's birthday."

The valkyrie rolls her eyes at the doctor before averting her gaze back to her crossword.

"And?"

"And", Lauren walks up and places a gentle kiss on Tamsin's forehead, "_we_ are going to bring her these cupcakes."

"What? No. I am _not _going over there. The succucunt wouldn't want me there anyways."

Putting on her best pout, and knowing it will work, Lauren circles around the couch and pulls the newspaper out of Tamsin's hand. She begins to protest, but immediately stops when the doctor straddles her. A smirk on the valkyrie's face, she raises her chin at the doctor – if Lauren is really going to make her do this (she knows that Tamsin can't resist that pout... damn it), she is at least going to get something out of it.

"It's going to take more than a pout to get me to be such a masochist. We _both_ know she hates me. And I'm not exactly president of the Bo Fan Club over here."

Lauren returns Tamsin's confident smirk, knowing where the valkyrie is going but more than ready to accept the challenge. She leans down and places gentle kisses and nips right on Tamsin's pulse point, smirking again when she hears her take in a sharp breath at the contact.

"What if", Lauren whispers in her ear, "I promise to let you do whatever you want to me later?"

"_Anything _I want?", the valkyrie breathes, her mind already racing with all the things she could do to the doctor tonight – tomorrow is Sunday, after all, meaning neither of them has to wake up for work. Which means she can keep the doctor up _all_ night. Mulling it over for all of 30 seconds, she sighs. The doc _really_ knows how to push her buttons.

"Fine. But I'm cashing that in the _second _we get back here tonight."

Satisfied, Lauren leans back and smiles at the valkyrie – this was the best way to win an argument with Tamsin, she's learned. She thinks she won, but in all reality it was a win-win situation for the doctor from the get-go. Lauren quickly gets up, ignoring Tamsin's frustrated groan from the lack of contact, and throws Tamsin's jacket at her.

"Let's go, detective."

* * *

They arrive at the shack, as Tamsin decides to call it, and Lauren has to practically _drag_ the valkyrie to the front door. Lauren elbows her in the ribs lightly, and Tamsin puts on her best fake smile as the doctor knocks on the door. She can't help the 'of course' that escapes her lips when Bo pulls open the door to greet them – she smiles at Lauren, but drops the facade when her eyes reach Tamsin standing behind her. Tamsin waves, her best shit-eating grin on her face, to which Bo rolls her eyes at before ushering them in out of the cold. Much to the detective's dismay, the whole group is inside – Dyson and Hale and playing video games on the couch, Kenzi is judging them harshly from the armchair adjacent, even Trick is there, sipping on a glass of wine in the kitchen. Everyone turns and greets them couple as they walk in but quickly go back to their activities.

"Lauren", Tamsin grabs the doctor's hand and gives her a pleading look, "_please_. Cupcake delivery and the amscray?"

Lauren rolls her eyes, but leans forward and places a gentle kiss on her lips before nodding. She leaves a very awkward valkyrie standing by the door way as she goes to give Kenzi the cupcakes – from what Tamsin can see, Kenzi is _very_ happy to receive them. She goes wide-eyed and jumps up off the chair to wrap the doc in a large hug. Lauren looks a little uncomfortable, but happy, and that alone makes Tamsin smile. She decides a few minutes won't kill her, and walks over to the drumset in the corner to lean against it and wait for Lauren to greet everyone. It doesn't take long for Bo to saunter up to her – Tamsin again throws the succubus her best shit-eating grin, hoping she would just turn around and walk away, but (again, much to her dismay), the succubus goes to stand next to hear and leans against the drumset with her.

"So."

Tamsin rolls her eyes, even though Bo isn't looking at her. _Great_.

"So."

"Lauren looks happy", Bo says simply, and surprises Tamsin by looking at her and offering a gentle smile, "and so do you. I'm glad."

Not sure how to react, Tamsin replaces her shit-eating grin with an actual one.

"She's pretty great", Tamsin says before looking back out at the group, smiling bigger when she sees Lauren trying her hand at the video game Dyson and Hale are playing, "but you already know that."

Bo doesn't say anything. Tamsin sees her look down out of the corner of her eye and suddenly realizes that Bo really _does_ know Lauren is great. The valkyrie wonders why she would ever break up with someone like Lauren – sure, at first Tamsin herself was a little less than interested, but now that she knows how great of a person she really is, the valkyrie can't imagine just giving that up for now reason.

"Bo, can I ask you something?"

The succubus looks up, eyebrow raised, and nods at the valkyrie.

"Why did you leave her? She either doesn't _know _or just _won't _tell me. And I couldn't-", she pauses, choosing her words carefully, "I don't see why you did it."

"Tamsin", Bo turns to face her fully, her dark eyes serious, "do you know what it's like to wake up every morning and have to pray that the body next to you is still warm?"

Tamsin definitely doesn't know what that's like – until recently, she didn't even really know what it was like to actually _sleep_ in the same bed as another person. She cocks her head at the succubus, not sure what to say.

"Every time I had sex with Lauren, I could have killed her. There were times I thought I did, there were times I almost did. I couldn't do it anymore."

Tamsin places a hand on Bo's shoulder, actually feeling bad for her. She softens her voice as she speaks, hoping the succubus knows she is putting her usual bitchy attitude towards her aside.

"I'm sorry, Bo. I can't imagine."

"It's okay", Bo says, forcing a smile, "all that matters is that she's happy now. That's all I really wanted for her, you know."

They both turn when they hear Lauren say Tamsin's name. She looks confused, and a little worried, but both women smile at her before facing each other again. Bo extends her hand to Tamsin, which she accepts and shakes. Before the valkyrie walks away, Bo grabs her shoulder.

"If you hurt her, Tamsin, I swear to _God _I will make you regret it."

The valkyrie smiles, not willing to break the eye contact with Lauren, and pats the hand on her shoulder with her own.

"Don't hold your breath, succubitch."


	12. Chapter 12

Lauren and Tamsin drank together, of course. Occasionally they went out to The Dal or the small bar by Tamsin's place, or enjoyed a glass of wine or two with dinner. But ever since that Thursday all those months ago when Lauren drank too much wine and called the valkyrie 'Bo' one too many times, they kept their wits about them. Today was their 4 month anniversary, however, and Tamsin _insisted_ that they celebrate (it's been centuries since she had been in a relationship, after all, so this was definitely worth celebrating in her mind). Lauren of course didn't protest, even when the valkyrie breezed into her apartment with two bottles of liquor and a huge grin on her face.

"I almost thought you were kidding about the celebrating, Tamsin." The doctor smiles as she rises from computer to greet her girlfriend with a chaste kiss.

"I _never_ kid about drinking. You should know that by now."

Lauren laughs and takes the bottles from Tamsin before heading to the kitchen to fetch them some glasses.

"Whoa whoa whoa, Lewis", Tamsin interrupts her as she is about to open up the first of the two bottles. "Those are for the_ after _party."

She raises an eyebrow. "_After _party?"

The valkyrie practically skips around the kitchen island to wrap her arms around Lauren's waist. Lauren let's her head fall back onto the other woman's shoulder, humming happily when Tamsin places small kisses on her cheek.

"I'm taking you to my favorite bar."

"Your _favorite _bar, huh? I wouldn't have pegged you as someone that has a favorite."

"Lauren", Tamsin spins the doctor around to eye her seriously, leaving her hands on her hips, "I drink. _A lot_. I've been to _lots_ of bars. _Of course_ I have a favorite."

**********

The bar is everything that Lauren and Bo used to joke about – motorcycles are parked out front, leatherclad men and woman adorn the outside, and there is the distinct sound of peanut shells cracking under their shoes as the pair enters the bar. Tamsin is smiling hugely as they walk in, so Lauren throws her usual caution to the wind and closely follows behind the valkyrie. They find a spot towards the end of the bar, where it is the least crowded, and Tamsin leaves to get them drinks. Lauren takes this opportunity to take in her surroundings (she's never been to a dark bar, of course) – there are several large men occupying the pool table, and another group of them crowding the dart board. A small group of women, who look strangely out of place in their polos and pearls, are sipping margaritas at a table in the center of the bar. Standing in the corner around a lopsided table, drinking and loudly whooping and laughing amongst themselves, is another group of women. They are all tall, all of their heads are adorned with golden blonde hair, all of their eyes are a shade of piercing green or blue – they are_ all_ very beautiful. And, as Lauren takes note of once she gets a better look at the group, they all share a _striking_ similarity to her girlfriend. Once Tamsin returns from the other end of the bar, drinks in her hand and a smile on her face (Lauren will later swear, in a drunken stupor, that Tamsin only ever smiles like that when there are cold drinks in her hands, or Lauren's head between her legs; Tamsin will agree), Lauren happily receives both her rum and coke and a kiss.

"Tamsin...", Lauren says slyly as the valkyrie slides onto her stool, "Do you know that group of women over there? You all look... _interestingly _similar to one another."

Raising her beer to her mouth, Tamsin lazily turns her head to where the group of golden haired women is standing. She almost spits her drink out all over the table, causing Lauren to quickly stand and pat her back as she struggles to catch her breath. In all of the commotion (which involved not only Lauren worriedly standing in a rush, but knocking over her own drink and the tray the drinkrunner behind her was straining to balance), a woman from the group noticed them and happily sauntered over. She slams her large slender hand on Tamsin back, and another on Lauren's shoulder.

"Lady Tamsin of Muspelheim, as I live and breathe."

Tamsin, trying to smoothly wipe the remnants of beer off of her chin, clears her throat before looking up at the large woman.

"Annicka", she rises to embrace the woman, now that she has caught her breath, "it's good to see you. You look well."

"As do you!" The woman smiles, and pulls Tamsin into another embrace. Lauren, as curious as ever, takes a step back from the pair to observe. She still doesn't know much about Tamsin, not of her life before she came to work with Dyson, so she hopes that this will grant her the opportunity to learn a little bit more about the woman that makes her so happy.

"And this striking creature", the other woman, Annicka, falls to a knee and takes Lauren's hand; Tamsin rolls her eyes but doesn't drop her smile, "who might you be?"

Lauren smiles, definitely impressed by the other woman's charm. She is beautiful, much like Tamsin in stature, and pleasantly draws out all of the words the way only a woman of Nordic decent does. The doctor laughs quietly, relishing in the blush that rushes to the valkyrie's cheeks as she does her best to curtsy.

"Lauren. Dr. Lauren Lewis. It's nice to meet you."

The woman kisses Lauren's hand and stands, slapping a hand on Tamsin's shoulder roughly as she does. Tamsin keeps her beer in her mouth (just barely), and Lauren registers the internal struggle to not glare at the woman going on behind the valkyrie's eyes.

"A human, Lady Tamsin? Not what I would have ever expected of you. But she _is_ beautiful. And a _doctor_ none the less!"

The valkyrie rolls her eyes again as she takes an uninterrupted gulp of her beer. "Oh, she's alright I guess. Don't blow her head up too much though, some of her science might fall out."

Lauren laughs, sticking her tongue out at the valkyrie, a gesture she returns before laughing as well. The two blondes chat for a while, Lauren enjoying her quiet observation. From what she can tell, they have known each other a long time, and it has been quite a while since they'd seen each other. Tamsin is laughing happily as Annicka shares stories of her many travels over the years, mocking her when she gets the chance, providing humorous hindsight at every turn. After a short time, and 3 beers for each of the Nordic woman, Annicka politely asks Lauren if she could steal '_Lady_ Tamsin' (Lauren makes a mental note to ask her about that later) away for a moment.

"That group of woman I was with would just love to see this face again", Annicka says as she playfully pinches one of Tamsin's cheeks, "if you don't mind her absence?"

"Oh please, take her away. I take as many breaks from her as I can get."

They all share a small laugh, and Tamsin leans in to kiss Lauren before being practically dragged to the group – not before whispering 'I promise I won't be long' in Lauren's ear. The group receives her happily, many pulling her into a tight embrace. Lauren watches, smiling, from her spot at the bar, twirling the melting ice around in the bottom of her empty drink – she rarely sees Tamsin act 'goofy'. The valkyrie is always so composed and focused, her snarky attitude barely shedding light on the wonderful personality she keeps carefully hidden. It's nice to see her acting the way she is around the group of woman. She looks comfortable. And happy.

"A woman like you drinking alone?"

Lauren turns in the direction of the clicking tongue she hears directed at her; sitting next to her in the stool Tamsin vacated is another beautiful woman, but beautiful in a totally different way – she is dark skinned, with dark hair and expressive dark eyes, and teeth so white that the contrast almost throws Lauren off when she smiles. The doctor raises an eyebrow, forever oblivious to someone actually finding her attractive.

"For the time being. Just waiting on someone."

"Oh?", the stranger smiles again, "Let me buy you a drink. In the meantime."

She orders Lauren another rum and coke, and makes polite conversation with the doctor for a few minutes. They discuss fae politics, the weather, and medicine (Lauren is happy to discover the other woman actually knows what she's talking about when Lauren brings up a few medical journals she's been reading). When they get to the subject of dating, to the existence or lack there of significant others, the woman slides a little closer to Lauren at the bar – she places her hand gingerly on the doctor's knee as she offers her another drink. Suddenly everything registers in the doctor's brain and she smiles despite herself, looking up at the ceiling as she chuckles.

"_Oh_. No, thank you. I'm really am just waiting for someone. My _girlfriend_", Lauren tries to act casual as she spins around and points at the valkyrie, who is still laughing happily with the same group of women from earlier, "is right over there."

The woman's face falls, her sultry expression dropping and being replaced by one of surprise. Her voice is filled with an almost shocked humor when she speaks.

"Your girlfriend is a _valkyrie_? You're_ dating _a valkyrie?_ That_ valkyrie?"

Lauren raises an eyebrow at the stranger sitting next to her, not sure how to feel about her reaction. She may be human, but she knows more about the fae than most_ fae _seem to; she knows most fae don't like others to know what kind they are. It gives their enemies a chance to discover their weaknesses. And if there's one thing the doctor's girlfriend truly dislikes, it is weakness.

"How did you know that she's a valkyrie?"

"Well", the woman spins to look at the group with Lauren, "all of those ladies over there are. Well, some of them _were_. But the whole group, they're maidens of Odin. Powerful group." She nods for emphasis before laughing, throwing Lauren off a little. "I didn't know she _dated _nowadays. And a human! How funny."

Smiling back at her uncomfortably, Lauren decides it's time for her to take her leave – the woman is starting to get on her nerves and the fact that the alcohol is finally hitting her system isn't helping her usual unflappable patience. She thanks the stranger for the drink before pushing herself off of the bar to head back over to the table. The woman grabs her shoulder, however, and roughly pulls her back to the bar. Lauren lets out a little yelp as her hip collides roughly with the stool she had just vacated, but doesn't have time to protest – the stranger, still smirking, quickly leans forward to try to capture Lauren's lips in a kiss. Lauren raises her hand to slap the woman, her anger finally getting the best of her, but doesn't have to chance to before Tamsin appears behind her and grabs the back of the other woman's head by the hair. The valkyrie's patented shit-eating grin never leaving her face, she easily slams the offensive stranger's face into the bar. She recovers quickly, blood dribbling down her chin from where her mouth hit the hard wood, and spins to face Tamsin. The doctor is curious, and getting increasingly more uncomfortable by the second. The stranger's smile definitely isn't helping.

"Tamsin! How nice of you to join us. I was just about to introduce myself to your pet-"

"_Girlfriend_." Tamsin quickly corrects. "What do you want, Natasha? Other than to endlessly torment me."

The smile on the other woman's face drops as the group of valkyries move to stand behind Tamsin. Her shit-eating grin turns to an almost scowl as she eyes the woman – Natasha – more seriously.

"Well?"

Natasha shifts awkwardly on her feet and raises a hand to wipe the blood from her mouth. When she speaks, her voice is quiet – the doctor senses a hint of respect, and a hint of fear. She recognizes it, she will realize later, as the way she used to address The Ash – the first Ash she served, all those years ago.

"I apologize, Lady Tamsin of Muspelheim. I just couldn't believe my ears when I heard that you were dating _that_. A _human_."

She throws Lauren, who has moved behind Tamsin to clutch at her hand, a dirty look. Tamsin squeezes the doctor's hand reassuringly before looking past her and to Annicka, who she offers a small nod. Annicka cracks her knuckles, a vile smile covering her previously soft and beautiful features, before approaching Natasha.

"Let's take Natasha home, ladies", the woman rally behind her and all offer Tamsin and Lauren a smile before filing out of the bar one by one. Lauren and Tamsin are left standing in the bar, neither of them sure who should say something first. The doctor, whose patience has indeed run low between the drinking and the night's strange events, decides it must be her.

"I believe you owe me a story, _Lady_ Tamsin."


	13. Chapter 13

"So? _Lady Tamsin_...", Lauren says slowly as they enter Tamsin's apartment. The taxi ride here was silent and uncomfortable, Lauren having too many questions to ask and Tamsin filled with just as many answers. As they stumbled up the steps to the valkyrie's spacious loft (it was closer than Lauren's, and both woman were drunk and exhausted), Lauren's rational mind (admittedly clouded a little by the alcohol she consumed at the bar) decided that there was no better place to start than at the beginning. "Why _Lady_ Tamsin?"

"What do you know about valkyries, Lauren?", Tamsin begins just as cautiously as the doctor did. She unlocks the door, only fumbling with the keys for a moment, and the two woman rush in to escape the cold. "Really. Tell me what you know."

"You already _know _what I know."

"Tell me _anyways_."

Tamsin all but trips over the doctor in the doorway as she heads for the kitchen. Lauren shakes her head, already knowing exactly where Tamsin is heading but asking anyways.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to need a nice cold beer to make it through this conversation", she contemplates the liquor she has in the freezer for a second but decides on pulling out the whole 6 pack out of the fridge instead. "Or maybe a _few_ nice cold beers."

She wearily makes her way to the couch, plopping down on it roughly as she opens her first beer. Lauren opens her mouth to speak but Tamsin interrupts her before she can start, leaning forward to catch Lauren's gaze from her spot, still leaning against the front door.

"Just so you know, if any this gets out, I might have to kill you."

Lauren wants to ask her if she's serious, but decides she is too afraid of the answer. She goes to sit down next to Tamsin on her couch.

"Valkyries are the war maidens that serve the Norse God, Odin." She begins slowly, fidgeting with her jacket zipper and avoiding eye contact. Slipping into a comfortable air of professionalism, the doctor starts to recall everything she knows. "They are traditionally women of Scandinavian decent hand chosen to find the heroes of war and bring them to a never ending feast in Valhalla. The hall of heroes."

"What a surprise", Tamsin smiles sadly, "the doctor is well read. What else?"

The doctor thinks for a moment - literature on the valkeryies is hard to come by. They consider themselves a secret order of sorts, and don't like all of their business (regardless of how noble or brave it may seem to others) out in the open - she heard a rumor, years ago when she first started working for the Light, that they once had all the books written on them collected and burned. Even then, Lauren knew that this was a serious bunch. Her relationship with one has just proven that initial notion.

"I know you- well, _they_ use fear and deception to manipulate war. They can instill doubt in someone; it's been thought to be the most potent skill they posses. For a while valkyries offered that skill to armies for a hefty price behind Odin's back."

Tamsin shakes her head grimly, quickly downing the rest of her beer.

"And boy, was he _mad_."

"Were you one of them, Tamsin? One of those women? Is that why you don't want people to know, because _you_-"

"Me? Oh _fuck _no. No _way_. It was before I was born, but even I had been around I wouldn't have been stupid enough to fuck him over. He's uh", she grabs another beer, "not _known_ for his acts of mercy."

They share an awkward silence, Lauren wondering if she's the first person Tamsin has told all this too - the valkyrie seems tense, scared even, and the doctor wonders what on earth could be effecting her so much. For not the first time tonight, and definitely not the last time, the conversation is filled with too much sour feeling to be continued by either woman. Lauren decides to make her way back to the original question, hoping (and almost praying) that it would involve something a little less heavy. Maybe even something light-hearted.

"Tamsin... Why were they calling you _Lady _Tamsin? That usually denotes some sort of nobili-"

"_Nobility_," she mocks, dismissing the word with a wave of her free hand, "yeah yeah yeah."

Finishing off her third beer, the valkyrie fights the urge to throw the bottle at the wall in frustration. She knows she agreed to tell Lauren everything, she knows she has no reason to not trust the doctor with the information... she would almost go as far as to say that she _wants _to tell Lauren. She just doesn't want to have to tell her e_verything_. She doesn't want Lauren to know who she is. Or what that means. Tamsin drops her head into her hands and lets out a long sigh. _Like a band-aid_, she thinks,_ just get it the fuck over with_.

"Odin is my father."

"Odin? As in,_ the_ Odin?"

"Yeah,_ the_ Odin. Good old pops."

"He's your... father. So... so Thor? A-and Loki?"

"Are my idiot brothers, yes. Well, Thor is at least. I never considered Loki a brother. He's always kind of been a prick - someone gave him all cock and no brains."

Tamsin could see the gears working in Lauren's brain; her eyebrows knit together in the way that only happens when she's thinking way too hard about something, her eyes scanning to floor as if it will give her the answers, her lips pulled into a tight line, as if she opened them any comprehension she _did _attain would slip out through them.

"So are you... a... goddess?"

"Goddess? Oh wow Lauren. No way, not me." She picks up her fourth beer, casually tossing the cap behind her to clatter under a shelf or cabinet, never to be seen again. "I enjoy drinking and women and fighting_ way_ too much to be of much use to people looking for their _prayers_ answered."

Lauren's gears begin spinning again. Tamsin smiles despite the situation, always loving to watch the doctor think. On any other day, she would brush the cliché lock of hair out of her face, whisper sweet (and not-so-sweet) nothings in her ear, kiss her neck until she was too distracted to think anymore, practically drag the begging doctor to her bedroom – but not today. (Later she would let out strangled sobs in the shower as Lauren slept in the valkyrie's bed peacefully, thinking how she finally got this far in a relationship only to have what should have been an amazing night ruined by something like her past – something she never wanted to have to let Lauren in to.)

"That woman. Natasha." Lauren looks up at Tamsin; she nods. "Tell me about her."

"She's my sister. Well, _half _sister. One of many."

"But... she's not a valkyrie? I mean she can't be. Her skin, a-and her hair..."

"She's not a valkyrie, not anymore. Those valkyrie's that were selling they're skills? She was one of them."

"And Odin didn't", Lauren gulps at the idea, "uh, he didn't kill her?"

"He stripped her of her powers. Made her immortal but powerless." Tamsin sips her beer as she shakes her head grimly. "Honestly? I'd rather die."

"What did she mean when she said that some of those women used to be valkyries? Did they do the same-?" Lauren paused, thinking about each of the women she saw at the bar tonight - they all were all still blonde, still statuesque, still surrounded in that air of power that Tamsin herself always emitted. "No. They are _still_ valkyries... Right?"

Tamsin nodded with her eyebrow raised, surprised that Lauren caught on. Not that she should be - it _is_ Lauren, after all. If that woman got her gears spinning, she could figure anything out. This is the part Tamsin was dreading. (As much as she hates to admit it, she was hoping Lauren wouldn't catch that little fact so that she didn't have to explain it, so she wouldn't have to tell her the twisted loopholes daddy dearest created to his little rule.)

"Annicka was my _friend_. Still _is_. We fought together more times than I could honestly count. But she fell in love with a human...

"Lauren's shoulders slump. What else could it have possibly been – it _is _the fae they're talking about. "A _human_..."

"What the books don't tell you is that being a valkyrie means you can only devote yourself to two things. To war, and to Odin. Falling in love is a deadly business for us. When he found out that she had fallen in love, that she_ told_ this stupid boy she loved him... Well, he gave her a choice."

Still dumbfounded, and feeling more defeated than she should, Lauren simply repeats 'a choice'.

"She could either kill him", Tamsin gulps, dropping her head, "or erase his memory of her. He'll never know her again. He'll never know that they were once stupid in love."

"That's ridiculous. A-and cruel! Why would he-"

_Cruel_? You think _that's _cruel?" Tamsin stands to pace around the room. "Frieda, he forced Frieda to _kill _her love. With her hands, he made her _kill _him. Lara was made human. But her love was a shifter. He had to watch her grow old and die like all the other humans while he lived forever."

The couple fell into an eerie silence, not sure of where to go from there. Tamsin still her crooked pacing to lean against the kitchen counter. She looked at Lauren; the doctor was looking at everything she possibly could but the valkyrie. She knew what she wanted to ask – hell, she knew what she wanted to _say_. What she wanted to spill to the beautiful blonde standing just feet from here, what she wanted to cry and scream and shout at her as if it would make a difference, but she knew now more than ever that it wouldn't. Sighing, Tamsin walks back over to the couch and plops down roughly, dropping her head just as roughly onto Lauren's shoulder. The doctor places a gentle kiss on to the top of her head.

"And what of his own daughter?", Lauren asked, just above a whisper, "His own _child_? What would he do to yo- well,_ if _he had a daughter that fell in love... Hypothetically. What would happen to_ her_?"

Tamsin smiles sadly, tapping her now empty beer against her knee.

"_Hypothetically_? I mean he didn't _kill_ Natasha. But I'm already the least favorite. Even _hypothetically_", Tamsin raises her eyes to look at Lauren, fighting back the tears that threaten to spill over, "I don't even want to think about it."


	14. Chapter 14

Tamsin awoke with a start, letting out an almost pained yelp and instinctively reaching for the gun on her nightstand.

"Another bad dream, baby?"

Still panting, the valkyrie looked for the voice; her tired eyes found Lauren sitting cross-legged on the floor next to the bed with her computer in her lap. She offers her girlfriend a half-hearted smile and replaces her gun. She stretches and yawns, suddenly noticing the cold night air on her naked body and quickly pulling the duvet up.

"Yeah...", she yawns again, "yeah I guess."

Wearing nothing but a pair of thin cotton panties and a worried frown, Lauren sets her computer on top of the piles of books settled next to her on the floor and makes her way to Tamsin. She sits next to her on the bed and kisses her sweetly.

"I'm sorry. I've been trying to find some research on what it could all be, but all I can really find is all this badly translated information on Mares. And I doubt that's what has been troubling you..."

Tamsin eyes Lauren seriously, noticing for the first time tonight that her doctor was looking rather weary these days. Much like Tamsin, she hadn't been sleeping well – she's either up with the valkyrie to sooth her after these nightmares that have been plaguing her for 2 weeks now, or trying to find ways to stop them. She takes a deep breath to clear her mind and turns all the focus her tired mind can muster on Lauren. Adjusting her position so that she is sitting behind Lauren with her arms wrapped around the doctor's taut stomach, Tamsin places gentle kisses on her shoulders and the back of her neck.

"Lauren. You're exhausted. Give it a rest. Just come to bed with me already."

"Oh?", the doctor laughs, "And what makes you think_ that's_ such a good idea? I just spent 2 hours in this bed with you and not very much resting got done."

Tamsin smirks against Lauren's neck, recalling the wonderful evening they'd just shared (they thought it would be a good idea to walk to the theater to catch the new science-fiction movie Lauren has been begging Tamsin to take her to, but ended up caught in the rain about a third of the way there; they decided to head back and take a nice hot shower to warm up before hopping in the valkyrie's Jeep and driving there instead – of course, once they were in the shower, the movie was forgotten rather quickly).

"Well_ this_ time, rest. I'm fucking exhausted."

Lauren yawns, and that's all the valkyrie needs to affirm the doctor is as tired as she looks. She uses the arms still wrapped around Lauren's waist to pull her into the bed with her. They settle into their usual position – Lauren curled up against Tamsin's unnaturally warm body – and the valkyrie reaches out to flick on the lamp on her nightstand.

"You know", Lauren starts quietly to the darkness, her breath ghosting Tamsin's neck, "I wonder if I could convince Hale to let me into the archives. I'm sure I could cross reference nightmares and valkyries there and find-"

Tamsin tips her head to capture Lauren's lips in a kiss to quiet her.

"Just... just close your eyes, Lewis. Jeez."

The doctor sighed contentedly as she scoots further into the crook of Tamsin's neck, giving up on talking for the night and finally letting her exhaustion take hold. Tamsin closes her eyes – she was far too wound up from the nightmare to get any good sleep tonight but at the very she was comfortable with her girlfriend snuggled up against her on the bed.

Just as the valkyrie was finally about to drift off into a albeit fitful sleep, she felt Lauren stir next to her. Reluctantly opening her eyes, she looked over to the doctor and caught her sleepy gaze.

"Everything okay, Lauren?"

"I just...", she pauses for a moment, the familiar look of her gears spinning falling over her tired features, "I don't expect anything from you. I want you to know that. I want you to know that I am happy with anything you can give me, Tamsin."

Tamsin raises an eyebrow at her, the way Lauren is speaking causing her tired mind to pull together some sort of focus.

"Lauren..."

"Just... I just want you to be happy. I love you. "

They share a look, the valkyrie's mouth open and Lauren's worried eyes darting between her girlfriend's bewildered eyes. Lauren knows suddenly that her exhaustion has taken a hold of her in the worst way – the way that causes her already not communicating thoughts and spoken words to communicate even less, leaving her a mumbling and uncensored mess. She laughs at herself in that characteristically Lauren way and rolls her eyes to the ceiling.

"Can we just pretend that I ended that sentence at the word 'happy'?"

Tamsin forces a smile, and swallows down the lump in her throat. Not trusting herself to speak, she presses a lingering kiss to Lauren's forehead and settles both of them back down. Lauren, who has not been able to get a good night's sleep in days, falls asleep quickly in the valkyrie's arms. As if sleep wasn't going to be allusive enough, now Tamsin finds it hard to believe she was ever tired in the first place. Staring at her ceiling, she is filled with far too many emotions at once – she's angry, she's thrilled, part of her wants to jump up and down and sing and dance and be filled with the purest kind of joy, and the other part of her just wants to curl up into a ball and cry. It's too much for her to handle, too much for her to process, and it means far too much for her to think about right now. The doctor let's out a soft murmur in her sleep, signaling to Tamsin that there is no waking her poor exhausted girlfriend at this point, so she carefully slips out of the bed and makes a bee-line for her kitchen after quietly pulling on some yoga pants and a tank top She pulls the unopened bottle of gin out of the freezer and practically rips it open, not bothering to grab a glass and instead puts it to her lips and takes a greedy sip. She starts to think about what she's going to say when Lauren wakes up; she knows the doctor will want to talk about what she said, and she is far too panicked to think of where that conversation might lead. Without thinking much, she throws on a pullover and carefully shuts her apartment door behind her.

Tamsin drove as fast as she could to the only place she didn't think Lauren wouldn't look for her - the police precinct. The bottle of gin in hand, she picks the lock on side door and goes straight to her desk. Before sitting down, she remembers the commemorative shot glass Dyson has hidden away in his bottom desk drawer - she breaks the drawer open and smirks despite herself as she pulls the three glasses out. Lining them up neatly on her own desk she fills each one before taking a seat and throwing them all back in succession. The alcohol warms her body and cools her nerves immediately - she fills all three glasses again and takes the shots without a second thought.

She is so engrossed in filling her 13th, 14th, and 15th shots (many many years of drinking has given her quite the tolerance - not to say that she isn't incredibly drunk right now, but a human would have probably already died of alcohol poisoning by now) that she doesn't notice when Dyson fills the doorway of the squad room. He walks towards her slowly, not sure how to approach her and definitely not ready to startle an angry valkyrie. She finally notices him when he accidentally kicks a desk-side trashcan, however, but doesn't bother to look up.

"You win the scavenger hunt", she sing-songs at him in a slur before downing her last shot and slamming the glass down on the desk with a satisfying clank. She wants to mock him, the incredible hunter, for tripping over a trashcan, but is far too drunk at this point to formulate a good insult.

He speaks slowly, continuing his cautious approach.

"Lauren called me. She said she woke up and you were gone – she sounded pretty worried, Tamsin." A looked down at her and the valkyrie was almost shocked at the almost undetectable note of care in his voice – she would have to try to remember later (when she was sober, of course) to mock him for letting the adorable little human grow on him a bit. "I figured you'd be here."

The valkyrie looks up from her desk, tears in her eyes but her lips pulled tight into a contradicting smile. Dyson seems almost taken back at first, until he recognizes the look - he's seen it in the mirror staring back at him more times than he can count. Nodding slightly, he grabs the chair from behind his own desk and wheels it next to Tamsin's. Taking a seat, he reaches across the valkyrie to grab the now half empty bottle of gin she's been drinking from and takes a big swig from it.

"Lay it on me, Slamsin."

She looks back down at her empty shots and drums her fingers on one of the glasses. Taking a steadying breath, she begins to speak, having to really concentrate to not slur her words too badly.

"Do you know what it's like to love someone and not be able to do anything about it?"

Dyson crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow at her. Tamsin looks up at him after an awkward silence and realizes, _of course he does_.

"...Right."

"But it's different for me Tamsin", he begins slowly, "I only get to love _one_ mate. I gave that love to _Bo_. And I don't regret that. If you love Lauren, if that's what has you here drinking yourself to oblivion, just tell-"

"Everyone dotes on you, Dyson, because Bo is your _only love_ and you only get _one mate_. Boo_ fucking _hoo. Do you know what happens to_ me _when_ I _fall in love? Do you know what happens to a _valkyrie_ when she falls in love?" She stands, the alcohol suddenly fueling her rage, every word dripping with venom, "I only get two options here, wolfman. I tell her and I get called to... to _him_... Or I don't. And she leaves me anyway."

"Him?", Dyson questions, having no idea who she could be referring to. He of course has no idea what has brought Tamsin here – what Lauren said to her before she stayed in bed staring at the ceiling in a panic, her has no idea about the nightmares, the messages, the terrifying realization that there was no avoiding what was going to come next. He has no idea Odin is her father, or what that means for her. More importantly, what this all could mean for Lauren.

Tamsin paces the squad room and sends him a worried look, as if merely saying his name is a terrifying prospect. Dyson wonders who in the world could invoke such fear in this otherwise fearless woman. He stands, and pulls her into a tight hug (just sitting there watching his partner, his friend, pace the room in a panic was going to drive him insane; he had to do something). She tries to pull away at first, but is far too drunk and too tired to fight him. Giving up, she buries her face in his broad chest and sobs.


	15. Chapter 15

Far too drunk to drive herself home, and far too emotional to be trusted walking on her own, Dyson volunteers to drive Tamsin back to her place when her sobbing finally slows. He plays as many sappy ballads as he can in the car, causing the valkyrie to laugh and drunkenly sing along with them. When they arrive at Tamsin's loft, Dyson pulls his cruiser into the parking spot closest to the stars and cuts the engine off.

"We have arrived, milady." He flashes her a goofy grin, earning him a playful punch, but she smiles back at him all the same.

"Thank you, kind sir." She bows her head to him as she tries to gracefully exit the car but falls flat on her face trying to get out of the door; Dyson sighs to himself, and decides it would probably be a good idea to make sure his partner was safely inside her apartment and in Lauren's care before he left.

"Okay, okay", he says as he circles around the front of the car to pick her up, "let's go."

The valkyrie giggles as Dyson grabs both of Tamsin's hands to help her stand and steady herself. He helps her brush the dirt off of her knees and elbows before threading an arm under both of her's and makes their way to the sidewalk. She leans against Dyson, still giggling to herself and singing (screaming) power ballads loudly, as he practically drags her up the stairs. He stops close to the top though, causing the stumbling woman to almost trip on the last step.

"What the hell, wolfman?", she slurs as she tries to shove past him to her front door. He grabs her shoulder, stopping her yet again before she can clear the top step on the staircase.

"Wait, Tamsin. I smell something."

"Is it gin?", she smirks. Her smile falls when his eyes flash gold again and he reaches for the gun on his belt.

"Something_ fae_. Just be quiet. And follow me."

Tamsin nods, not trusting her inebriated state enough to offer up a simple reply, and ascends the rest of the stairs as carefully as she can. When they round the corner that leads to Tamsin's front door, they both stop dead in their tracks – the front door to her apartment is practically torn from the frame, the splintering wood barely holding on to it's hinges, and there's something splattered just inside the door and on her kitchen counter. As they walk closer, Tamsin's jaw drops and she forgets Dyson's direct orders to be quiet.

"Is that... blood?"

Dyson all but shoves her against the all and rushes in before her, gun drawn, to verify that the apartment is now empty before allowing Tamsin to follow him in. She walks in, jaw dropping at the sight of how _much_ blood there is in her kitchen – mostly on the corner of a counter, like someone struck their head on it, but there is a small pool of it on the floor just below it and several splatters on the fridge as well.

"_Empty_?", she rasps, the alcohol making it hard for her mind to put the pieces together just yet. "But, Lauren? She was _here_. She _called_ you."

The wolf walks around the main living area slowly, taking in deep breaths to try to catch the scent of anything he can – other than blood, and the scent of the unknown fae that seems to have made this whole mess. Once he reaches the kitchen, what he fears the most is confirmed – the blood is Lauren's. Tamsin had ventured to the bedroom, calling out the doctor's name, and a half-choked scream tears Dyson from his concentration in the kitchen. He sprints through the hallway leading to Tamsin's bedroom, doing his best to ignore the sporadic blood drops leading him to his destination. He enters the room to see Tamsin standing in the middle of it, her back to him. The window is shattered, blood on the glass found on the floor there, and the room is in a general state of disarray.

"Tamsin, what is it?"

As she turns, Dyson notices her hands first – Lauren's blood-covered necklace is in one, and a tarot card in the other. Taking a step forward, Dyson eyes the card in Tamsin's shaking hand carefully; on it is crowned woman with a scale in her hand, and fine black print that simply says "_Justice_". Looking back up at Tamsin's bewildered eyes, he opens his mouth to speak but couldn't get a word out before the valkyrie's angered yell.

"Those _bastards_! They just came in here and fucking _took_ her!" Tamsin shoves her partner out of her way and makes for the front door, albeit still stumbling a little from all the drinking she had done earlier. "I am going to_ kill _every single fucking one of them. Every last one!"

"Tamsin!" Dyson calls out, catching up to her and grabbing her shoulders roughly, "Stop! You can't go after her like this. You're too drunk, you're too emotional. We need _help_."

"Don't say it, wolf."

Tamsin throws daggers at him, scowling. Even drunk, she knows what he is going to say. And that is the absolute last thing in the world that she needs right now. The last thing in the world she will _ever _need. He takes a steadying breath, not breaking the serious gaze they are sharing. The valkyrie's chest heaves with angry breaths, her eyes intense and hands partially covered in the blood from the necklace she refuses to set down – Dyson squeezes her shoulders reassuringly before speaking.

"We need _Bo_."

**********

Dyson makes the call for her, knowing that if left to her it would just never get made – Tamsin would rather go out in a blaze of drunken glory than have to wait around for Bo, let alone have to actually call her and ask for her help in the first place. He quickly rushes through the conversation, getting as far as 'Lauren's been kidnapped' before Tamsin could actually hear the succubus' yells through the phone. Dyson sighs as he closes the cellphone and returns it to his jacket pocket.

"She'll be here soon. Just... let's just try to get you into some sort fighting shape."

He pours her a large glass of water and fetches a few aspirin before taking a seat across from her at the dining room table; she takes long forced sips from the glass, finally beginning to sober up, between the adrenaline and the water. Dyson is eying her seriously, and Tamsin is about to make a snide comment on how staring is rude, but is interrupted by Dyson practically jumping up from the chair he was sitting in and making his way to her front door (which they removed from is bent hinges, not seeing the point of leaving it up any longer).

"What the heck, dogbreath? _Now _what?"

He sends a look over his shoulder at her (is that _pity _in his eyes?) and scratches his head nervously when he speaks.

"Bo is here. And she's-"

He is interrupted by Bo barging in to Tamsin's loft and heading straight towards her, delivering a solid punch to the blonde's jaw.

"Pissed." Dyson finishes, as if it needed to be said.

Bo wastes no time bending over and picking Tamsin up by the neck of her pullover, the valkyrie clawing at Bo's wrists and her feet dangling just centimeters from the ground. She adjusts her hand to grip the other woman's throat.

"What did you fucking do Tamsin? What the fuck did you _do_?"

Tamsin tries to reply, but the succubus' fingers are gripping her throat to tightly, so she settles for spitting in her face instead (old habits die hard, she guesses) – which earns her another solid punch, this time to her ribs. She let's out a harsh breath, and struggles to resist the urge to use her powers on Bo. Yeah, she would drop Tamsin so she could finally catch her breath, but she needs Bo to be 100% if she expects to get Lauren back.

"Bo." Dyson comes up behind her just in time and places a grounding hand on her shoulder. "Put her down. Hear her out."

"Lauren is _missing_, Dyson. What is she going to tell me that I can't figure out just by looking around this apartment?" She looks back at Tamsin, who is fighting the black out that is threatening to take her. "That's her blood, isn't it Dyson?"

Both woman look to Dyson, who solemnly nods. Bo lets out a frustrated growl before dropping the gasping valkyrie on her ass. She kicks her in the stomach once for good measure, and goes to kick her again before Dyson wraps his arms around her and carries her to the other side of the room to throw her down on the couch.

"_Enough_! How do you expect to _find _her if you kill the only person that can help us?"

Tamsin, who had recovered slightly from the short beating, sits herself up and leans against the wall behind her before glaring at the succubus on her couch – Bo returns her glare, tenfold. Dyson, who feels that he will forever be playing the mediator between these two important woman in his life, sighs.

"Tamsin, tell Bo and I what happened. Everything."

She huffs, looking away from the two across from her, before struggling to stand. The valkyrie makes her way to the kitchen, biting back the bile that threatens to come up now that she knows all the blood – there's so much of it, why is there _so much_? - is Lauren's.

"She told me she loves me", Tamsin says bitterly as she pulls a bag of peas out of her freezer to hold against her aching jaw. "I didn't think it would happen so fast, you know? I just... I thought I'd have more time."

"More_ time_?", Bo echoes angrily. "More time to what? Tamsin, who – or what – took her?"

Tamsin shoots a pleading look to Dyson, who thankfully takes over.

"Love is seen as a distraction to valkyries. When someone confesses their love to one, or vice versa, they are seen as a threat to their duty and...", he trails off, he himself not sure of what happens to that poor individual once the words have left their lips. Bo looks at him incredulously, impatient.

"And?"

"And", Tamsin says as she returns to sit against the wall her back was being held up against just minutes before, "whoever smelt it, dealt it. So to speak."

Bo raises an eyebrow at her; sometimes Tamsin (and Dyson, too) forgets that she wasn't raised in this world, so some things just don't and won't make sense to her. This will definitely be one of them.

"Lauren _told _me she loves me. She _gave words_ to that feeling, so now, _He_ knows. And He is probably... well, pretty pissed. He must have sent someone to get her and take her..."

"He?" Bo and Dyson say in unison. The blonde offers them a small, sad smile, her already bruising jaw aching from what little speaking she has done.

"Odin. My_ dad_."

The two look at each other, then back to a deflated looking Tamsin. Bo stands abruptly, turning to punch the wall behind her (the valkyrie does her best to make a mental note that she'll need to add a sheet of drywall to her ever-growing hardware shop list once this terrible ordeal is over) before exiting the loft to phone Trick for any information. Dyson falls into detective mode, and begins doing a more careful comb through of the apartment in a attempt to figure what exactly happened here, and what kind of fae they could be dealing with. Tamsin let's her head fall back and presses the now half-thawed peas harder into her jaw - she tries not to think of Lauren asleep in bed, being dragged out by only goddess knows who or what. She obviously put up a fight (Tamsin always did know Lauren was tougher than people gave her credit for), and Tamsin didn't feel any death in the room... at least there was _that_. But now Lauren was with Him. And there is no telling what He was going to do to her. Or worse, have _Tamsin_ do to her.

"I'm coming for you, Lauren", she says to the now empty room, "I swear."


	16. Chapter 16

Lauren woke up slowly, the throbbing in her head making her reluctant to open her eyes at first. When she finally did, the onslaught of pain hit her like a truck – the throbbing in her head increased tenfold, vision immediately becoming blurring and nausea coming at her in waves, her left arm appeared to be a mangled mess from what she could gather, and the rest of her body was in a pulsating sort of pain. The blonde felt around herself blindly, trying to gauge exactly where she had ended up – she felt a cold wall behind her, probably stone, and used her good (well, _better_) arm to push herself up against it.

Taking deep steadying breaths, Lauren waiting for the majority of the pain to subside before she opened her eyes again. Once she did, she took in her surroundings – she knew she was in a dungeon of some sort, the cold stone floor and walls reminding her of the time she had spent in the small cells underneath the Light compound. There was a solid wooden door on the far side of the small room, but other than that, it was empty, save for the doctor herself. Reluctantly, she allowed her vision to fall down on her own body to asses the damage she must have taken back at Tamsin's loft; without needing to raise her hand to confirm it, she definitely had a concussion and a large laceration on her right temple. Doing her best to raise her left arm, Lauren could tell it was badly broken in several places, but luckily without any protruding bones. Her entire body was covered in cuts and bruises, mainly on her knuckles and knees. Knowing better than to try to call out for help, Lauren let her head fall gently back on the wall behind her; she steeled her jaw and fought the tears that were threatening to spill, from both the pain and the fear.

"Hurry, Tamsin."

**********

_Without opening her eyes, Lauren knew Tamsin wasn't in the bed with her. Judging by how cold the sheets next to her were, she had probably gotten up a while ago. The doctor sighs, instantly filled with worry for her poor girlfriend – even since these nightmares started, she hadn't been able to sleep much. Without a doubt, Tamsin had slipped out of the bed so that she wouldn't disturb Lauren (she makes a mental note to scold the valkyrie for not waking her; she _is_ a doctor after all). Lauren swings her legs over the side of Tamsin's bed and scans the bedroom for signs that she had woken up – other than the fact that some of her clothes are missing, everything appears to be the same. Becoming worried when she doesn't see any lights on through the crack in the bedroom door, or hear the TV on in the living room, Lauren grabs a t-shirt off of the floor and throws it on before making her way through the loft softly saying Tamsin's name. The valkyrie is nowhere to be found, and her missing car keys only worry Lauren more. She walks back to the bedroom to pick up her cellphone and call the only person that she thinks would know where Tamsin had run off to – Dyson. He picks up after only two rings, his voice heavy with sleep, the gruff 'hello' sounding foreign in Lauren's ears._

"Dyson. Uh, hello. It's Lauren."

Dyson immediately sits up in his bed, knowing that the doctor wouldn't call him unless it was an emergency. She sounds worried, her voice shaking a little as she speaks, only confirming Dyson's concern that something must be wrong.

"Are you okay, Lauren? It's almost 3 in the morning."

"I know, I, um I'm sorry", she stutters nervously, "i-it's just that Tamsin is gone and I don't know where she went. I'm a little concerned; it's not like her to just not be here."

_"No, it's not", Dyson agrees. "Did she come home last night? Maybe she had to pull an extra shift-"_

"No, no, she was here. Uh, we went out to dinner. We went to bed together. But when I woke up she was gone. And that's not like her. I was just wondering if you had any idea where she might go."

Dyson thinks for a moment, feeling a little bad for Lauren – they might not get along, they might never get along the way that she does with the rest of the group, but he did have a begrudging amount of the respect for the woman. Anyone that can give up their life for the person they love as she did for Nadia, human or fae, is an amazing person by his standards. If for no other reason, Dyson and her related on that note. The wolf also admired her ability to put aside all the put downs she receives as a human in the fae world – even his own – and consistently do her job and help others selflessly. Suddenly he remembers many a night he and Tamsin would stumble, already drunk, to the police precinct and drink on the steps outside the large building (and on more than one occasion break in and brew themselves a fresh pot of coffee to sober up before having to return to their respective homes).

"I think I know where she is Lauren. Just, hang tight. I'll bring her back safe, alright?"

Lauren feels a little of the weight leave her chest, and smiles into the receiver of the cellphone.

"Thank you Dyson."

She hangs the phone up and sets it on the kitchen counter; once she notices the freezer door slightly ajar, and the new bottle of gin Tamsin had just bought the other day missing, Lauren lets out a frustrated sigh – okay, so Tamsin is a valkyrie. And fae don't react to alcohol the same way humans do, not by a long shot. But man, did the valkyrie ever drink a lot. Lauren can't fault her for probably hundreds of years of heavy drinking, though, and decides to set her anger aside (at least until her girlfriend is home safe to be lecture). She puts on a pot of coffee and patiently waits by it, enjoying the calming smell of fresh coffee filling the loft. Her eyes close for a second – she will later swear up and down that it was a second, maybe two, there is no way it was any longer than that – only to be torn from her temporary serenity by glass breaking in the back of the apartment. In the bedroom, to be exact. Lauren falls into a mindset she hasn't had to fall in to in quite some time – not since Afghanistan. She drops quickly to the floor after pulling the only knife (a steak knife, unfortunately) she could find out of the sink, and waits for the intruder to be close enough for her to attack, or at least intimidate. She expects a burglar, as Tamsin does not live in the best part of town, but is surprised when there are two sets of footfalls coming down the hallways, and two female voices talking in a language Lauren doesn't recognize right away. Gulping hard, Lauren peers around the edge of the counter to try to catch a glimpse of the trespassers – her jaw drops at the sight of the two women. They are statuesque, both inches taller than her, wearing what has to be heavy and intricate metal armor. Their blonde hair and piercing light eyes (piercing enough that Lauren can make them out, even in the darkness) give them away as valkyries without question. The doctor lets out a sigh and stands, brushing off her knees and offering the two women a week smile.

"Are you two looking for Tamsin? Albert Einstein, you scared the hell out of me", Lauren tilts her head back towards the front door, "She has a door, you know."

The woman look at each other, a little shocked.

"Tamsin is not here?" says the taller one, her thick accent making it hard for Lauren to understand her right away.  
_  
"No. No, she'll be back soon. She had to-", Lauren stops and thinks about what she could say, but decides that less information is probably better at this point, "She'll be right back."_

The two woman approach the doctor cautiously – Lauren takes a step back from them, smiling nervously, and tightens her grip on the knife.

"Actually", says the shorter one, her accent not as think, "it is better that she is not here. Lauren, you need to come with us."

"Come with you? Why?"

Lauren looks between the two woman standing in front of her, confused. Why would they want her to come with them?

"Did something happen to Tamsin? Is she okay? Is she hurt?"

Neither of them answer her – the taller woman sighs, while the other looks at Lauren sadly.

"Please", says the shorter one as she goes to place a hand on Lauren's shoulder, "just come with us. It will be easier this way."

Like a wall of bricks, everything comes full circle for the doctor. She had told Tamsin, however absent mindedly, that she loves her. And she meant it, with every fiber in her being, regardless of how tired she was or how much she didn't mean to say it out loud. She did the one thing Tamsin had all but gotten on her knees and begged her not to do – say it_. Now, just as Lauren had read about in all the research she had done or learned from all the stories Tamsin and Trick had told her, these woman would take her away to be judged and sentenced by Odin. _No_, Lauren told herself, _not without a fight_. Not before she could at least she Tamsin again. She stood frozen until the valkyrie's hand was fully extended towards her, then quickly stabbed her with the steak knife she had been hiding behind her back. The doctor attempted to jump over the woman, who had knelt down in pain, but the valkyrie was much faster than her – she extended her good hand and caught Lauren around the ankle, causing to fall right into the corner of the kitchen counter. The pain was immediate, as was the blood that bubbled up out of her temple and began running down her face. The taller valkyrie tended to the other's wound, leaving Lauren on the floor in a growing puddle of her own blood as she fought to hold on to her consciousness._

"This is your first job, kid. You have to be more careful!"

The women sound like they are miles away, but Lauren's rational mind knows better. If only she had another weapon to protect herself, she could probably get out of this situation. But she was only human, and new to the fold or not, the two woman in Tamsin's apartment were –

Wait.

Tamsin's gun_._

Lauren scrambles up from the floor, using the back of one hand to wipe the blood out of her eyes so she could see and the other hand to shove the woman just behind her into the fridge. She makes in through _the hallway and into Tamsin's bedroom, but misfortune strikes her at the worst time and she trips over her jeans from earlier in the evening, allowing the two woman to catch up to her rather easily. Not ready to give up when she's so close to the one thing that could help her, she flails her arms and legs in an attempt to avoiding being grabbed by the pair. Lauren manages to avoid their grasping hands for a moment, and shuffles herself within in arms reach of the gun, when the larger of the two finally gets a grip on her left arm. Smiling down at her as she stops to flail and panic sets it, the woman grabs her arm with one hand around the wrist and another at her elbow. The last thing Lauren hears before blacking out from the pain of the whole ordeal is her bones snapping._

**********

"Human!"

Lauren slowly opens her eyes, better prepared for the almost blinding pain now than she was the first time she woke up. The doctor in her wants to scold herself for falling asleep when she knows she has such a severe concussion, but she is sure she hasn't been sleeping for very long before the booming voice of a woman comes through the crack of the door. She manages a weak '_yes_' through her dry throat before the door opens. Another woman in heavy metal armor enters the cell, and grabs Lauren by her broken arm to hoist her up. She lets out a pained yelp, tears falling down her face freely.

"Time to see Odin."


	17. Chapter 17

Bo, who had been on the phone with Trick for the past half hour trying to find a way to get to Lauren, finally came back into the apartment and threw herself down onto the couch. Dyson was still on the phone with Hale, hoping that his resources as The Ash would point him in the right direction – unfortunately, much like Trick, he had no idea where to even begin. As he hung up the cellphone and pocketed it, he let out a defeated sigh.

"Hale doesn't know anything. He's going to try to get in touch with the Elders in hopes that they know something but-"

"But", Tamsin finishes for him, "Odin doesn't exactly have to play by the rules. Light or Dark, Ash or not, he doesn't exactly have to answer to _anyone_."

Bo looked over the back of the couch at Dyson for confirmation; he nodded, earning a groan from the woman.

"What are we supposed to do now? Just sit around while Lauren is who knows where? Hurt? We have to go-"

"No, Bo. You're no better than Tamsin – we can't go into this blind. We need a _plan_. Or at least a _destination_."

Two sets of concerned eyes find their way to the valkyrie, still nursing her jaw. Her eyes were closed but she was listening to both of them try to get information from their respective sources. She sighs as she tips her head up and opens her eyes to meet both of their gazes.

"We have to go to Valhalla", she says sternly. "And we have to do it _fast_."

The intensity in Tamsin's voice sent Dyson into another flurry of phone calls, trying to gather any information he can on how to get the group to Valhalla without having to actually die heroically in battle. Bo walked over to Tamsin, still leaning against the wall the succubus was choking her against not too long ago. Sighing, she slides down next to the blonde.

"If you're here to tell me how I fucked up I'd rather you just punch me in the face again and go away."

Bo's first reaction is to be angry at the valkyrie for acting so crass, especially given the circumstances, but she can relate to how the other woman is probably feeling right now - who knows how many times Bo herself had put Lauren's life in danger. And all _she_ had to do to risk the doctor's life was let her very new-found control slip a little when having sex with her.

"I'm not going to punch you Tamsin. I just want to understand how all of this happened."

Tamsin sighs, discarding the now completely thawed out bag of peas. The large bruise on jaw is a bright purple already, and Bo cringes when she catches sight of it.

"Sorry by the way."

The valkyrie simply smiles sadly in reply before speaking.

"_I _don't understand it. I don't understand any of it. I don't get how someone like _Lauren_ could love someone like _me_ - I just figured she would eventually get sick of me and leave me to be miserable without her. At least then we could have avoided... _this_."

Bo raises an eyebrow at her as the valkyrie sweeps her arm over the expanse of her apartment to emphasize her point, and opens her mouth to speak before closing it again. She knew Lauren and her wouldn't work out; there was no possible way for their relationship to end without Lauren ending up broken. Or dead. And Bo couldn't stand that. But that doesn't mean that she was ready to Lauren to love someone else – and yes, maybe that's selfish. Maybe it's childish. But together or not, Lauren will always hold a very important part of the succubus' heart. Knowing that she found love again should fill her with joy (that is what she _wanted_ for her, after all) but instead it leaves a lump in her throat and a bad taste in her mouth. Especially given the circumstances surrounding the person she chose to fall for.

"Do you love her, Tamsin?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I do." Tamsin says without hesitation, laughing bitterly. "Wow, I never thought I would be able to say that _out loud_. I _love_ Lauren."

She laughs again, and Bo smiles at her sadly. She, as much as she hates to admit it, misses that feeling - loving Lauren is an amazing feeling. She feels bad for Tamsin, realizing the severity of the situation for them both. Now that Bo can control her feeding, she can have a happy and healthy relationship without fear of killing the other person - hell, she had a relationship with Lauren, a human, for quite a while. And those that didn't work out, they at least had the chance to give it a fighting shot. Tamsin _can't _control this. There is nothing Tamsin, or Lauren, or Bo or Dyson or Trick or _anyone_ could do to control this.

"We'll get her back, Tamsin. Trick just has to find the right incantation and then...", Bo trails off. All she knows is that she has to get Lauren back – at this point everything else is just details. Very very muddled and typically confusing fae details.

Tamsin sighs, hanging her heavy (and throbbing) head into her lap.

"We don't _need_ the incantation, Bo."

"What do you mean we don't _need_ it...? How else are we going to get to wherever the hell this place is?"

Looking up at the brunette, Tamsin raises an eyebrow at her with an almost threatening smile replacing her previously morose features.

"We get _summoned_."

* * *

The trio burst into the clubhouse, Bo and Tamsin _almost_ getting along as they chattered about fighting tactics while Dyson totes the heavy chest the valkyrie refused to leave her apartment without. Kenzi, who had been asleep (despite the fact that it was almost 2 in the afternoon) on the couch with a video game controller still clutched in her hand, immediately jumped up at all the noise. She reached for the dagger next to her on the coffee table, but stopped midway when she realized it was just the three of them and not yet another unwelcomed intruder.

"Whoa, BoBo. What's with the cavalry?"

Quickly, Bo filled Kenzi in while Tamsin helped Dyson carry the case up to Bo's bedroom. After the two women downstairs had caught up, and Kenzi had been filled in on the situation with Lauren, they made their way up to join them.

"So", Bo starts as they cross the threshold, "what is in this case that was so important it had to come with us? Is this how we're going to get summoned?"

Tamsin smiles broadly at Bo, and in turn Dyson and Kenzi, not at all bothered at this point by the large bruise on her jaw. She walks up to the chest that they had set down in the middle of the room and runs her fingertips along the soft wood of the lid.

"No. But this is is the first step."

The group came in closer to Tamsin and the case, all three anxious to see what this would hold for them. The valkyrie knelt down, drumming her fingers nervously on the side before taking a deep breath and pulling the key to the chest from her pocket. She turned it slowly, only hesitating for a second when she heard the familiar click on the locking mechanism coming undone.

"Holy ball sauce, Tamsin."

The valkyrie smirks at Kenzi's shocked response as she lifted the chest's heavy lid open. Inside of it, still as shiny and magnificent as the day it was made hundreds and hundreds of years ago, was her sacred valkyrie armor. Dyson and Bo both gasp as Tamsin pulled the sword, still sheathed, from the top of the chest - she gave it a small practice swing, a huge smile on her face as the familiar weight settled in her hand. The valkyrie looked at Bo, smile still on her face but a fire in her eyes that Bo could recognize from miles away - she nodded at the blonde, knowing that the fire meant it was time. It was time to _fight_. For Lauren.

"Well", Bo said as she lead Dyson and Kenzi (who was still muttering under her breath about her cool the armor was) out of the room and down the stairs to get themselves ready. "Suit up Tamsin. We've got some gettin' summoned to do."

Tamsin sat down on the edge of Bo's bed after the trio left, gingerly running her fingers over the hilt of the still sheathed blade. She reluctantly set it down behind her and started to remove the heavy pieces of armor one by one from the chest - the breastplate and shoulder pieces first, followed by the gauntlets and tasset, the greaves, the plackart, the boots, several pieces of beautiful flowing cloth and, lastly, a hand-carved wooden box from the bottom with an ornate 'T' on the lid. All the other pieces placed carefully next to her on the bed, Tamsin pulls the box onto her lap. She takes a deep steadying breath in before opening it, and exhales as she slowly lifts the lid - inside is her winged helmet, in all its glory. Because of her great success in the battlefield, her helmet is far more intricate than any of the one's the other valkyries wore; her's was detailed with five thin golden vines, wrapping their way around the headband and to the just as detailed silver wings that adorned either side of the helmet. Back in her day, before being a mercenary or a bounty hunter, before she boxed her armor up for what she assumed was for good, the other woman she fought along side would offer her almost anything in an exchange for this very head piece. But, it was something she had worked hard to earn, and she could not even bare the thought of parting with it.

Tamsin undressed, fighting to steady her hands as she carefully folded her dirty clothes and laid them to the side, and put on the heavy armor piece by piece. It was heavier than she remembered, but still comfortable. Her chest and shoulders covered in the heavy pieces made her feel safe, though her arms and hands not used to the feeling of the slick metal that now covered them from the elbow down. Her lasset covered maybe to mid thigh (she must have somehow gotten taller since she'd worn this last, she thinks, as she doesn't remember her thighs being _this_ exposed) and her boots and greaves came up to just under her knees. Bo came into the room just as Tamsin was fastening the flowing blue and gold cloth to her belt.

"Wow", the succubus breathed out from the door way, "You look incredible."

And she did – Bo wasn't expecting how... well, how _badass_ Tamsin looked. Bo had read about valkyries in high school (Mythology ironically being one of the few classes she actually enjoyed) but even after she had discovered the fae she never imagined she would get to see one, in full armor, standing right in front of her.

Tamsin smirks at her, laughing at Bo's slack-jawed expression as she reaches for the sword still on the bed. She tightens the strap to the sheath around her waist and pulls out her blade for a once over - it is longer than a normal sword, Bo notes, and somehow thinner _and_ more sturdy looking at the same time. The blonde studies her reflection in the still sharp blade for a second before quickly having to sheath it again. This sword has seen her through many battles, but the death that emanated from it was honestly nauseating. _Best to save this for the battle_, she thought to herself as the hilt made a satisfying _clink_ into the sheath.

"Just wait until you see me in action, succubus." She took a step towards Bo, doing the final adjustments to the various straps on the armor. "Are you ready for this?""

"I've never been more ready for anything."

Bo and Tamsin share a determined look; they didn't need to speak to know what the other was thinking. Bo decked out in her usual leather, sword in hand and dagger on her thigh, and Tamsin fully armored, her helmet tucked protectively under her arm, there was only one thing that either of them needed to know.

As far as they were concerned, this is war.


	18. Chapter 18

As the group approached the Dark bar, Bo became increasingly suspicious – Dyson was already a nervous mess because he was on Dark territory, which was not helping to ease Bo's own concerns, and Kenzi just couldn't seem to believe that all of their problems were going to be solved in a _bar_. Not that she _minded_, of course. Tamsin sauntered just ahead of the other three, her jaw clenched and mind racing the closer they got. By the time they were in the parking lot, Bo's own frustrations took over and she grabbed Tamsin by the shoulder.

"Are you _sure_ this is the place? Because this is no time to be drinking yourself away."

Tamsin smirked back at her, making a show of plucking the succubus' hand off the shoulder of her armor and casting it aside.

"_Of course_ I'm sure."

"And how do you know they'll be here?"

Tamsin looked past Bo at her small army and smiled even larger at them.

"Because they're valkyries. And its 6 o'clock. There's no place they would rather be than at a bar. Trust me on that."

Bo and Dyson share a sideways glance while Kenzi, who is standing next to the wolf, grabs his arm and pulls him closer to her side. He looks down at her lovingly before using his free hand to pat her arm reassuringly before turning his attention back to the other women.

"And what exactly is the plan here, Tamsin?"

"The _plan_, wolfman, is to pick a fight."

"Oh", Kenzi quips with a smile, "I think you have the perfect group for something like that."

The valkyrie pulls the hair tie from her loose ponytail, allowing her long golden locks to fall around her shoulders, before carefully placing her prized helmet on top of her head. Taking a deep breath, she turns around and begins to make her way up to the front doors of the bar. Her faithful, yet nervous, companions follow close behind her. They enter the bar slowly, Tamsin leading them straight to where Annicka and her group of valkyries are gathered. Sure enough, they each have a beer in their hand and are laughing amongst themselves; until Tamsin clears her throat loudly at the far end of their long table. All of the women turn to look at her, most of them putting their drinks down and quieting immediately.

"Lady Tamsin!", Annicka says as she quickly downs the rest of her beer. She doesn't appear as cheerful as last time, her head immediately bowing in would-be respect when she catches that the woman is in full armor. "To what do we owe this honor, milady?"

Having no patience for the charades or the formalities, and having no time to try to come up with replies for Bo and Kenzi's shocks expressions at Annicka's obnoxious acknowledgment of her title, Tamsin closes the gap between her 'friend' and herself. She places her hand threateningly on the hilt of her sword and leans forward as she speaks. Her words drip with venom, the anger that she's been keeping under wraps this whole time finally bubbling to the surface.

"What have you done, Annicka?"

"I have done nothing, milady. I swear it."

Tamsin lets out an angry growl as she allows herself to get even closer to Annicka. Their breaths mingle in what little space there is between them; Tamsin's hot and angry, the other woman's in shallow, nervous bursts.

"Why would you come into my home and _take_ her from me?! Couldn't you at least warn me that there were coming, or take her without having to _hurt_ her?!", she shouts in the other valkyrie's face. "We have fought together hundreds of times. You've saved my ass more times than I can count, and God knows I've saved yours! I am your _friend_!"

"But he is my _Lord_, Annicka", replies quietly, not brave enough to look her in the eyes. "I am so sorry, Tamsin. He sent us here because he _knew_, he knew far before your human ever dared to say the words. He sent us here to watch, and to wait. By the time she had admitted it to you we were just around the corner, already waiting."

Tamsin is quiet, eying the other woman seriously.

"Why was my apartment covered in blood, Annicka? There was so much of it. What did you do to her?"

Another woman, from the back of the group of valkyries, stepped forward. She looked younger than any of the others, nervously fiddling the the bandage that was loosely wrapped around her hand.

"Milady, she fought us. She had a knife", she holds up her hand for emphasis, "so we had no choice. We took her straight to the dungeons; she was still alive when we left her there."

"The _dungeons_?", Tamsin all but whispers, her hand slipping from the sword to fall lifelessly to get side. "Why... why is he doing this?"

"It is our way, my friend", the other valkyrie says to her sadly as she places a comforting hand on Tamsin's shoulder.

"You know what I have to do, Annicka."

Annicka smiles at her.

"I do."

Tamsin returns her smile sadly before turning to face her group behind her.

"No weapons, kids. Let's do this old school style."

She turns right into Annicka throwing a punch to her already bruised jaw, causing her to bite down on her tongue. Hard. Tamsin smiles and licks the blood from her lips before returning the punch, only with twice as much force. The other woman stumbles backwards, laughing, her and Tamsin both with an excited fire in their eyes. Before charging forward, Tamsin throws a shit-eating grin back to her entourage.

"And try not to _kill_ any of them."

Bo, Dyson, and Kenzi take this as their sign, and all three charge in to the group of woman and start throwing punches.

The fight went on for several minutes, neither side _really_ wanting to fight the other, so minimal damage was done. Just when Tamsin was about to throw another frustrated and impatient punch to the face of one of her fellow valkyries, it was as if her hand had gone right through her. Confused, Tamsin opens her eyes and let's out a surprised gasp – as if by magic (well, it _was _magic after all), all four of them had been picked up out of the bar, out of the fight, mid punch or kick or whatever, and dropped in another realm. Their plan had worked – as much faith as she had in it, there was still a part of here that didn't believe it would _really_ work. Mouth still agape, she turns to find her group wearing the same expression of confusion she is. Bo takes a step forward, fist still balled, and looks at Tamsin with an eyebrow raised.

"I don't get it. So... it... worked?" Kenzi asked hesitantly.

"Odin summoned us for fighting with his valkyries...", Bo answered as she looks around the room, "though I don't know why he would have us sent _here_. This doesn't _look _like a feasting hall to me. Where exactly are we, Tamsin?"

Tamsin takes in her surroundings - an ornate four post bed in the corner of the room, blue and gold silk matching the ones on Tamsin's armor flowing around it, its wooden floors and stone walls looking as old as time but very well kept. There were several chests against one side of the room, and swords decorated the walls all the way around. It took the valkyrie a second to recognize the room - it had been hundreds of years since she had been in it, after all - but when she did it hit her like a ton of bricks.

"This is... my room..."

Bo and Dyson look at each other nervously, while Kenzi speaks what they are thinking.

"Why would he put us here? His fancy dining room full or something?"

"No", Tamsin gulps hard. "It means he's been expecting me."

Dyson sighs and hangs his head, an almost smirk on his face.

"There goes our element of surprise."

* * *

The small army regroups in the room, taking the small reprieve from battle to collect themselves and make some sort of a game plan.

"So that's the plan?", Kenzi asks, not even trying to hide the shock in her voice. "We're just going to march right up to daddy dearest and demand he gives Lauren back?"

Tamsin smiles at her sheepishly while Bo and Dyson both shrug at the human.

"And what do we do when he says no? Are you going to throw a temper tantrum? Refuse to take a bath for a month? Feed your broccoli to the dog?"

"Kenzi, shh", Bo scolds.

"No, she's right. I don't know what I'm going to do. I just know that I'm not leaving here without her."

Dyson places a large hand on the valkyrie's shoulder.

"Then it's settled. Let's go get your woman."

Without another word, all four rise and make their way out of the room and into the large hallway. Tamsin leads the group through what seems like a maze, remembering all the times she roamed these very halls as a child. The house in empty, thankfully, and they make their way outside without any resistance. When they finally make it out of the large home, they are immediately hit by the swirling snow storm that is raging outside. The feasting hall is close, though, and sticks out like a sore thumb – it is huge, much bigger than any of the other buildings in the snow covered landscape, and surrounded by what has to be hundreds of men and woman mingling. Adjusting her armor, Tamsin takes a deep breath before drawing her sword.

"Here goes nothing."

Bo and Kenzi do the same, drawing their weapons and raising them defensively as they near the feasting hall. Much to their surprise, however, no one attempts to stop them. Most people don't even acknowledge the group as they near the large building, and the ones that do are only offering cheerful greetings to Tamsin. As they walk up the steps to the hall, Tamsin turns and gazes upon the large crowd, confusion etched on her face.

"Huh", she says as she cocks her head to the side, "I always forget how different it is here. Everyone is just so fucking _happy_."

Bo joins Tamsin on the top step and smiles at her as they near the large doors that lead into the famous dining hall of Valhalla.

"Not for long."


	19. Chapter 19

I was going to upload this tomorrow before work but maaaan you guys are super awesome, so I finished it and am going to leave it here for you all to enjoy while I go prepare to fail some tests tomorrow. Thank you for being such great readers, I love the lot of ya.

* * *

Bo and Tamsin enter the hall before Kenzi and Dyson even make it to the steps, and are met by a group of no less than a dozen women waiting in full regalia for them just inside the door. They are all massive, wearing armor similar to Tamsin's, their swords also drawn.

"Tamsin", one steps forward, "turn back now. This does not concern you – it is out of your hands."

The blonde raises her sword and points it directly at the woman, Bo following suit.

"Move. _Now_."

When she doesn't, Tamsin takes a slow step forward and places the tip of the blade against her throat.

"_Move_."

Still she doesn't, and without hesitation, Tamsin draws back the blade and takes a broad stroke at the opposing woman's armored midsection. Bo is taken back at how fast it happens, but doesn't have time to truly react – before the woman's body even hits the ground, a bloody mess from hip to breast, the other women lunge at the pair. The following moments are a whirlwind – Tamsin and Bo back against each other and fight off the remaining woman as best as they can. Bo is doing her best to simply knock them out or otherwise incapacitate them without _killing_ them, but Tamsin isn't being nearly as merciful. When the shuffling of feet and clanging of metal on metal final stops, Bo turns to see the majority of the woman dismembered in front of Tamsin. She gasps, and goes to scream at Tamsin, to tell her that she shouldn't be _killing_ these woman, they're her_ sisters _Bo thinks, but the valkyrie has already moved on to the next onslaught of warriors that has come to stop them from entering the hall. She, single-handedly and just as easily, disposes of the next group in the same way; leaving their dismembered bodies and limbs strewn about the now destroyed entrance to the hall without so much as stopping to wipe the blood from her face.

As the valkyrie enters the main room of the hall, the first thing she sees is her father's form sitting on a throne at the head of the room; he is just as massive as she remembers, his long gray hair and braided beard the same as it was when she was last here hundreds of years ago. His gaze falls upon her, the simple black eye patch she remembers from her youth replaced with a brazen one of gold, but his eye is just as cold as it is outside. She can't stop the gasp, or fight back the tears, when her eyes finally fall on Lauren's bruised and battered body laying on the cold ground at her father's feet. Choosing to swallow the string of insults and curses on the tip of her tongue (at least for now), Tamsin rushes to Lauren and falls to her knees next to her.

"I'm here, Lauren", she picks up Lauren's head gingerly, placing it in her lap. She wasn't expecting the extent of the damage she saw there - her face, much like the rest of the doctor's exposed skin, was covered deep gashes and dried blood. Her left arm, dangling lifelessly and broken next to her, is a bruise from wrist to elbow. "Oh _god_. Baby I'm here."

Lauren's eyes open slowly, taking a second to adjust to the oh so familiar onslaught of pain and to the blurriness of her vision. She smiles softly at Tamsin, not sure she is actually there or if she is just having a wonderful dream until her good arm raises and her fingers graze the bruise on Tamsin's jaw softly.

"Hi baby. Hi", Tamsin swallows the sobs that threaten to take her over, "I'm here. Are you okay?"

"What happened to your jaw?"

Tamsin can't help the choked half laugh, half sob that escapes her lips this time.

"Good god, can you _please_ turn the doctor off for 10 seconds?"

Lauren tries to return the valkyrie's forced smile but just can't muster it. She head is pounding, her arm throbbing, her entire body _buzzing_ with pain. Her vision starts to tunnel out, the loose grasp she had on her consciousness starting to get even looser. As Lauren's eyes begin to flicker shut, Tamsin says her name to try to keep her focus - when that doesn't work, she starts tapping Lauren's face with the hand not supporting the doctor's head. That rouses her, however momentarily, and she uses the last bit of strength she has to look at Tamsin and force a small, pained smile. The doctor's soft brown eyes meet the valkyrie's piercing green, the tears falling freely now as Tamsin sobs.

"Shh", Lauren whispers. "Don't cry. You're beautiful."

A million things fly between them in their simple gaze, Tamsin unable to stop crying as she watches the doctor start to falter. She wants to just pick her up and walk away with her – if only it could be that simple. But nothing is ever _that_ simple.

"I'm so sorry Tamsin."

Tamsin chokes on a sob.

"Lauren, you have _nothing_ to be sorry for."

Lauren raises her hand to cup Tamsin's cheek – the valkyrie holds the cold hand against her face, not caring at all that she'll have a bloody hand print there later, and places a sloppy kiss to it just as the doctor finally slips into unconsciousness. Tamsin allows herself to fall forward over Lauren's body and whispers soft 'I love you's into her hair. Her father's laughter pulls her from her grief, which is quickly replaced with a blinding rage. Tamsin looks up at Odin, who is staring down at her smugly from his place on the throne at the front of the hall.

"Why?", she spits at him, "Why _this_? Was simply breaking into my _home_ and _taking_ her from me in the middle of the fucking _night _not enough? You had to beat her within an inch of her life before you even sentenced her?!"

He grins at her (if it wasn't for her girlfriend's fragile body laying in her lap, she would have lunged at him then and there), his gaze full of amusement, before speaking – Tamsin almost jumped; she had forgotten how commanding his voice was, how booming it sounded as it bounced off every wall in the large throne room.

"She attacked one of your own. Have you no sense of sisterhood, my child?"

"_Sisterhood_?", Tamsin spits. "This has nothing to do with _sisterhood_!"

Bo had ran back to gather Kenzi and Dyson, and the group entered the large room just in time to catch Tamsin's string of curses and insults being laughed at by her father. Bo was heading the group as usual, her sword still drawn, but let her guard down for a second when she saw the valkyrie on the ground with Lauren's limp body in her lap. Tamsin heard the distinct sound of boots clicking behind her, and turned to catch Bo's terrified gaze. As the small 'army' approached, the succubus rushed ahead even further and knelt down next to Tamsin.

"She's alive." Tamsin said to her quietly as she stroked Lauren's matted hair off of her face, knowing that Bo was too afraid to ask. "Barely."

Bo ran a gentle hand over Lauren's broken arm, swallowing the lump in her throat and she took in the rest of her injuries.

"I can heal her, Tamsin. Just... give me some of your chi. If we don't do something fast I don't know-"

"That won't work here, Bo."

Tamsin sighs, defeated. Odin is God here - without his permission, Bo won't be able to use any of her powers. Dyson, either. If he doesn't want it to happen, it won't – no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Bo opens her mouth to argue, knowing that time is of the essence and the doctor's condition is getting worse by the second, but Tamsin cuts her off.

"Sit with her. Do _not_ leave her side, Bo, so help me God." Tamsin eyes the succubus seriously, who nods as she sits next to her and allows Tamsin to reposition Lauren into her own lap. Before standing, Tamsin places a kiss on her forehead. As she stands and adjusts the heavy armor on her chest, she takes a threatening step towards her father with her chin raised high and sword still in hand.

"You are about to get the sharpest part of my boot up your ass, old man."

"My my, Tamsin!", Odin's booming laughter fills the hall again, "You have acquired quite the venomous tongue during your time spent on Earth."

"What do you want for her? I will give you _anything_, old man. Anything. Do you want my valkyrie? My _life_? Take it! As long as she gets to leave here with my friends. _Alive_."

He cocks an eyebrow at his daughter, more defiant than ever.

"You would give up your wings for this human, child? Your very essence?"

"I would give up _anything_ for her."

Odin eyes her suspiciously, before a brilliant idea strikes him. Why take away the essence of one of his best warriors, of his own daughter, when he could gain so much more through this _one_ human?

"I will let the human live."

Bo, Dyson, and Kenzi let out relieved sighs, but Tamsin knows there is going to be more to it than just being allowed to walk out of here with her.

"But?", she questions. He smiles at her, happy she knew better than to get excited.

"She must prove her worth to me. If she wishes to live, she must prove to me that she deserves to live."

"You can't be serious", she breathes out, her arms dropping to side. "There's no way she is going to be able to pass that test! She is a _human_, father. A _human_! That is meant for valkyries, for valkyries with _years_ of experience!"

"I'm not asking her to fight, Tamsin. Simply to _survive_."

"Fuck no", she spits. "Fuck _you_. I am offering up my _valkyrie_ to fight for her, isn't that a more enticing offer? Wouldn't you rather destroy _me_ than _her_?"

"These are my conditions, child. Either take them, or the human is mine to pass judgment upon."

Tamsin lets out an angry breath through her nose before craning her neck to look at Lauren, still unconscious on the succubus' lap. Bo is looking at Tamsin with scared eyes, as are Kenzi and Dyson from their places against the wall. Of all the things Tamsin has walked away from, this will definitely not be one of them. She'll find a way to get Lauren through this.

"Fine", she says angrily as she turns back around to face Odin. "_Fine_! But Bo gets to heal her first. At least give her a _chance_."

He contemplates for a moment, before smiling - it makes Tamsin cringe how big it is, how it is all teeth and no meaning.

"The succubus may heal the human. You may prepare for one hour. Then, the test shall begin."

Letting out a growl of frustration, Tamsin turns and storms out of the hall – she walks straight past Bo and Dyson as they gingerly lift Lauren and to the cold, biting snow storm just outside. She draws her sword, and immediately begins to flail in against the first tree she sees. By the time Kenzi reaches her the tree is a mangled lump of wood, and Tamsin is an angry sobbing mess sitting in the snow, her sword discarded and helmet thrown.

"Tamsin...", the small woman begins softly, but finds that this is no time for softness; she roughly grabs the blonde's shoulders roughly pulls her to her feet. "Tamsin! You need to get your shit together, and you need to help Lauren right now! Be angry _later_."

The valkyrie shakes out of her grasp bit doesn't drop their eye contact. Catching her breath, and slowing the angry tears that burn her cold cheeks, Tamsin sighs.

"What am I supposed to do? Bo is the only one that can heal her. I can't do anything for her now."

"Bo needs _your_ chi so she can give it to Lauren. So go get your face sucked so we can get our Hotpants back."


	20. Chapter 20

Well I don't think I failed my test so in celebration here's another chapter! Yay non-failure!

* * *

"Look at what the Meow Meow dragged in", Kenzi says happily as her and Tamsin finally make their way back in to Tamsin's old bedroom, where Bo and Dyson have brought Lauren. It took them longer than it should have, the first 15 minutes of their hour now wasted between Tamsin's angry maiming of the tree and her trying to find something to drink on the way to her room (Kenzi decided that alcohol was definitely not going to be of any good to anyone right now – except _herself_, of course, as she took the large glass of mead from Tamsin's hand as soon as she found one and downed it before Tamsin even had the chance to argue). Bo looks up from Lauren, still in the bloodied and shredded t-shirt and underwear that she was dragged from the house in, and offers the valkyrie a sheepish smile.

"Are you ready Tamsin?"

The blonde sighs, handing her helmet to Kenzi (who is ecstatic to receive it, immediately putting it on her head) and sheathing her sword.

"As ready as I'm gonna be."

Bo nods at Dyson, who takes her place next to Lauren as she gets up. The succubus places her hands on either of Tamsin's shoulders, and slowly starts to lean forward.

"Before we do this", Tamsin spurts out as she pulls back suddenly, "I just want everyone in here to know that I hate this."

Dyson and Kenzi swallow their chuckles and Bo smiles at the valkyrie.

"Just shut up and kiss me, Tamsin."

Tamsin groans as Bo closes the distance between them. Bo's lips are soft, Tamsin thinks, and as the kiss deepens so do the blonde's thoughts on where she would rather those lips be. Feeling the spike in Tamsin's energy as her touch does it's job, Bo pulls back and gently starts to feed. She doesn't take much chi before she tries to break the kiss, but is stopped as Tamsin grabs the back of Bo's head and pulls her in for more heated contact. The succubus is confused, but is finding it difficult to resist the blonde's lips, the way her energy is off the charts, or the taste of her chi.

"Bo. I'm not going to _break_", Tamsin growls at her when the succubus pulls back gasping for air. "Take _more_. Take whatever you need to heal Lauren."

Nodding, Bo starts to feed from Tamsin again - this time much more insistently. She doesn't stop until she herself feels like she is going to burst from all the extra chi. When she pulls back, Tamsin has a goofy grin on her face and Dyson and Kenzi are awkwardly trying to look at anything but the sexually charged pair in the center of the room.

"Wow", Bo breathes, bring a hand up to touch her tingling lips. "_Wow."_

Bo takes a stumbling step backwards; her body is absolutely _buzzing_ with the extra power that is coursing in her veins, making it impossible for her to stand still. Without the succubus holding her up, Tamsin's eyes roll back and she slumps to the ground. Kenzi rushes over, but is swatted away by the valkyrie as she gets close. She is panting, and exhausted, but still alive. That's all that matters.

"I'm fine. Go... Go help Lauren."

Bo immediately goes to the bed once she knows Tamsin is okay; she is hesitant at first, thinking that kissing Lauren (whether chi was involved or not, life or death circumstances be damned) was a good idea. Knowing how high Lauren holds her duty and morality, Bo wonders for a second if she would be upset about the way this is playing out – especially considering Tamsin is standing no less than 10 feet away, not daring to take her eyes off the two. Knowing that she had no choice, Bo sat down on the bed next to the doctor and cautiously brought her lips to Lauren's. Slowly, she starting cycling the chi into her. Tamsin, who had sat up with a little help from Kenzi, watched from the floor as Lauren's large lacerations faded to small cuts, watched as the bruise on her arm faded to pale yellow, and as her bones seemed to magically reset themselves. She never thought she would be happy to see someone else kissing Lauren, but as she watched her heal right before her eyes, she couldn't imagine being anything but. Bo pulled back, swallowing air.

"I can't give her any more", she resigned sadly through her gasps, eying what she was able to heal and deciding that she did a pretty good job, considering the fact that she herself felt light headed – she definitely gave Lauren more than Tamsin had given her, dipping into her own energy, but that didn't matter. Not right now. She could recuperate later.

Again with Kenzi's help, Tamsin stood and made her way to the bed. Dyson moved aside so she could sit, which she did a little rougher than she intended, her legs still wobbling to support her. Tamsin leaned forward, gently caressing Lauren's face as she coo'd her name. The longest minute passed, all four of them holding their breath, but finally Lauren's caring brown eyes flickered open. Tamsin wrapped her arms around the doctor's neck, and immediately began to sob into her shoulder. Lauren, who was more than just a little disoriented from the whole ordeal, gave Bo (who was also a sobbing mess by this point) a questioning look before bringing her hands up to soothingly rub her girlfriend's back.

"Tamsin?", Lauren questioned innocently. "What did I miss?"

Dyson offered her a small smile as well, carefully slapping his hand on her knee.

"We can catch up later. For right now, we're just happy you're okay."

Tamsin pulled back, sniffling, and smiled at Lauren through her tears.

"It's about damn time you woke up, doc."

* * *

Not wanting to waste any time, the group quickly went over the details with Lauren. Her eyebrows were knit close together as she tried to process everything that they had all told her and patch together everything that had happened to her, only remembering snippets of the past 36 hours.

"So...", Lauren shook her head as if she was trying to clear away troubling thoughts. "What you're telling me is that I have to somehow pass some ancient valkyrie rite of passage or else Odin is going to...?"

"We don't know what", Bo says quietly, "but we know it won't be good. If you pass this test, whatever it is, we all get to leave here. Together._ Alive_. And we know you can do it. You're stronger than we give you credit for."

Tamsin, who had been too busy rummaging around her old room to find something for Lauren to wear to really take part in all of the explaining, finally returned to the bed with an arm full of clothes and a worried expression on her face.

"It won't be easy", she says as she hands the clothes to a very gracious Lauren. The doctor sighs as she gets up, faltering a little (luckily Dyson was there to catch her around the elbow before she fell – Tamsin started to rush to her side, but Lauren reminded her for the thousandth time since she had woken up that she was _okay_, just sore), and heads behind the room separator to change.

"What exactly does this test entail? I've never read anything about it."

Tamsin sighs as she looks in the direction of the voice. She didn't even know where to begin explaining it.

"It's different for everyone," she starts, "like The Dawning. It's a test that's personalized to each sorry sap that has to pass it. That's why it's going to be so hard. I can't really help you prepare because I only know what mine was like."

"What _was_ your's like, Tam?" Kenzi quips as she looks up from the chest she was going through.

"_Hard_."

Lauren emerges from behind the screen with a pair of boots in hand (the laces are intricate and confusing, and in her super focused state she can't be bothered to tie them up properly – Tamsin will later happily agree to do it for her), the leather pants Tamsin grabbed her clinging tightly to her form and the soft woven shirt just barely long enough to cover her stomach.

"Whoa, doc", Kenzi says, the hidden treasures she might find now completely forgotten, "that outfit is _terrible_."

Lauren rolls her eyes, but Tamsin crosses her arms in front of her defensively as she eyes the human girl seriously.

"They're not terrible, Kenzi, they're _old_. Plus, a few hundreds of years ago, those pants were the coolest thing around."

* * *

With Lauren now dressed (_badly_, as Kenzi keeps pointing out to her), the group nervously makes their way through the snow storm and back to the feasting hall. The dismembered bodies of Tamsin's fallen sisters in arms have yet to be removed from the entrance, and she is glad that Lauren is too focused to asked how they got there. Odin hadn't moved from his spot on the throne, and was now joined by several other women in regalia very similar to Tamsin's.

"Oh _shit_", the blonde mutters as they get close enough to the throne to make out who the women are. Bo doesn't let that go unnoticed, and gives her a questioning look.

"Those are my sisters" she all but groans at the succubus as she places a defensive arm around Lauren's hips. Tamsin notices Bo's confusion at the word 'sisters' – it _is_ used rather loosely here after all – before rolling her eyes. "My _actual_ sisters."

Odin laughs as the mock army nears him and Tamsin falls to a kneel. Everyone begrudgingly follows suit, save for Bo, but Dyson grabs her hand and pulls her down to join them. She stares daggers at him as they stand up again, but he steels his jaw at her before speaking in a hushed tone.

"Of all the times to be stubborn, Bo, _now _is not one of them. This is Lauren's _life_ we're playing with."

"Father", Tamsin regards him with a slight bow of her head as she steps forward, her arm returned to Lauren's hip as the doctor joins her at the front of the group, "Sisters."

"Welcome, Tamsin. Lauren. And friends. I believe this is the first time I have seen you arrive on time for anything, child."

"Yeah, well. If I knew we were going to be having a family reunion I might have just stayed home."

"Daughters", Odin says gruffly as he sends a sickeningly sweet smile in the group's direction, "please introduce yourselves to our _guests_."

The first steps forward, looking no older than 10, her heavy helmet falling down over her eyes as she moves. Her grin is large and happy, a few teeth missing in the front; she waves happily at the group.

"Hi! I am Hanna!"

The second looks older than Tamsin, and is larger than any of the others – her gaze is determined, her exposed skin covered in skars, and those who don't know any better can correctly assume that she is a warrior of epic proportions. As she steps forward, she places her hand on the hilt of her sword and offers the group a curt nod.

"Brynja."

The last sister's expression could be described as no other than bored – she is about Tamsin's height, though even thinner than their valkyrie, and appears to be the oldest of the sisters. She lazily tips her helmet to them in a very nonchalant way.

"Eisa."

The tallest, Brynja, walks down the steps fiercely after Eisa introduces herself and stops mere inches between herself and Tamsin.

"I never thought you this foolish, Tamsin – this is stupid, even by _your_ standards."

Tamsin laughs bitterly in her face. Lauren, feeling an unbearable tension between the two, takes a step back out of Tamsin's grasp – the valkyrie is too busy eying her sister to notice. They share heated eye contact but eventually Brynja let's out a frustrated breath through her nose before storming past Tamsin, roughly smacking the shoulder of her own armor against Tamsin as she goes.

"She's right, you know", Eisa drawls lazily as she sits down on the steps at their father's feet and begins braiding her hair. "Falling for humans, dear sister? _Tsk tsk_."

The youngest sister offers the group another large, toothy grin as she pushes her helmet back up to rest on the crown of her head.

"I think she's pretty!"

Tamsin smiles at her, happy for the distraction from Eisa's challenging glare or the soreness in her shoulder from where Brynja had hit her.

"I always knew you were going to be the smart one, Hanna."

She laughs at this, but all joy is sucked from the room as Odin clears his throat. Eisa immediately stands the three remaining sisters straighten themselves, as if by reflex.

"Tamsin, it is time. Lauren, come with me."

He stands and very slowly makes his way to a corridor to the left of the throne. Lauren looks at Tamsin with worried eyes, suddenly feeling very ill prepared for the biggest test of her life (and she thought the _MCAT_ was hard – she would give anything to do that instead).

"Any last minute advice?", she chokes out.

"You have to_ want _to survive, okay? You have to _want _to live."

Lauren raised her eyebrow at the valkyrie, not sure exactly what she could mean – _of course _Lauren wants to live. She has experiments to attend to, patients to see, papers to write and awards to win. Maybe someday a family; if she closes her eyes she sees smiling little faces, a happy and bubbly Charlotte or Ethan bundled up in her arms, a dog playing in the yard, a white picket fence and everything. She wants nothing more than to go back to her apartment and curl up with her girlfriend and just pick up where they left off. She just wants to go _home_.

"I don't understand, Tamsin."

"Listen", Tamsin places her hands on either of the doctor's shoulders firmly. "It's going to seem real, okay? So real that you'll think_ this_ is all just a dream, that you're waking up in your real life and none of this ever happened. And then a lot of shit is going to go down. You have to remember, okay? You have to remember _me_. And Bo, and Dyson, and Kenzi, and Hale, and everyone else. You remember us and you fight like hell. As long as you remember how loved you are out here, you'll make your way back."

Lauren pulls Tamsin in for a searing kiss, too terrified to say anything. Not that she needs to - Tamsin loves her. And Lauren loves Tamsin. That's all the reassurance and motive she needs to make it through this, even if she is afraid of what is going to happen. Tamsin gently removes her prized helmet from her own head and places it careful atop Lauren's. She then unclasps the sheath containing her sword from her armor and extends it to the doctor. Lauren takes it with shaking hands, and Tamsin helps her fasten it around her own midsection. Taking a step back, the valkyrie offers her girlfriend a half smile before once again closing the distance between them. She kisses her once, softly, fighting the tears that once again try to take her, before catching Lauren's gaze with her fierce green eyes.

"You take this helmet, and you take this sword, and you come back to me Lauren. Do you hear me? You. Come. _Back_."


	21. Chapter 21

(I wasn't going to upload a chapter for a few days because the one I am working on is SO long, but I decided it would be easier on me/less stressful/so much better for you guys if I just broke it into and uploaded it over several chapters; that way I can keep updating relatively frequently, but not panic only the 4,000 word chapter that is trying to kill me~ enjoyyyy!

ps - oops I accidentally docpod'ed, MY BAD.

pps - sorry not sorry)

* * *

Slowly, Lauren is pulled from a what feels like a deep sleep. Her eyes open slowly, afraid of where she was going to wake up – though she couldn't for the life of her think of why she _should_ be scared. Come to think of it, she couldn't think of _anything_ at all. She blinks the sleep out of her eyes and takes in her surrounds – they seem familiar yet completely new at the same time. _A hospital room_, she thinks. _What am I doing in a hospital room?_ Lauren scans her small portion of the room, which is empty lest for herself, laying comfortably on the bed. She hears voices on the other side of the drawn hospital curtain, however, and sits up as she strains her ears to hear them.

"...and it's been almost _5 years_, Doctor Chambers. Has there really not been any changes since I was here last?"

She hears a low chuckle – a man, probably older, his voice empathetic and comforting. _Definitely the doctor_, she thinks.

"You were just here last week! You know I would have called you if there were any changes in her condition. And _please_, it _has_ been 5 years now. Call me Charles."

"Okay", the other voice sighs, "Thank you Charles. I'll just go check on her one more time if that's okay."

The other voice – a woman, Lauren notes, sounds attractive from what the doctor can tell. The voice sounds familiar somehow, the way it is sweet yet determined at the same time, the way it sounds like she's smiling as she speaks; even the sigh she heard through the thin fabric of the curtain sounded familiar, as if she'd heard it a million times before. She thinks on it, focuses on every syllable until suddenly the realization hits her like a freight train. Lauren swallows hard before forcing her vocal chords to work.

"N... Nadia?"

The curtain is ripped back by the man (_Charles_, Lauren thinks, _the doctor_), who has shock etched into his tired features. He drops his clipboard, but Lauren doesn't even hear it clatter to the ground when her eyes fall on what his body is hiding; Nadia stands behind him, just as beautiful as Lauren remembers her (_Why does it feel like so long since I've seen you, Nadia?_), and slowly staggers forward on unsure feet, the tears already welling up.

"Lauren...", Nadia stumbles to the bed, grabbing Lauren's face in her hands and frantically looking back and forth between the doctor's own confused eyes, "You're awake."

_What does she mean, 'you're awake'?_

Is this heaven?

Am I dead?

Lauren gently pulls her head out of Nadia's grasp and actually looks around the room. She has various IVs and cathaders hooked into her arms, a heart monitor's steady (yet increasing) beeping can be heard, and an EKG sits idly in the corner. The scene in familiar, the set up itself is familiar, though she has no idea why – outside of what she knows as a doctor, of course. She looks back up at Nadia, finding it hard to formulate sentences but having far too many questions to not speak.

"I... A coma?"

The tears begin to fall, and Nadia nods slowly.

"How long?"

Nadia begins sobbing – all she can think about is that question. It's all she's been able to think about since the day Lauren fell into the coma after coming down with a rare illness when the couple was in the Congo half a decade ago. _What am I going to tell her_, she would think, _how am I going to explain to her that a year of her life is gone? 2 years? 3? And now, 5 years? _The sobs overtook her, her body shaking as she grabbed Lauren's hands and pulled them to her lips to kiss them as she cried.

"Nadia", Lauren pushes softly. "How _long_?"

"5 years", she chokes out. "It's been 5 years, Lauren."

The blonde screws her eyes shut, unable to get her gears to turn on this. Slowly, she takes a deep breath and tries to think of the last thing she can remember clearly. She thinks of high school, the feeling of disappointment at her parents missing her graduation for a business trip still thick in her chest. She thinks of college, of the first time in her life she made real friends. She remembers meeting Nadia in the quad at the university, how the beautiful dark haired woman was so helpful after an oblivious Lauren was too busy reading her study guide to look up and_ step_ over the photographer taking pictures in the grass as opposed to just_ tripping_ over her. She remembers the apartment they shared during Lauren's med school; she remembers how the walls were paper thin and every time they threw a house party or made love too loudly their neighbors would pound the walls with their fists and yell at them. And she remembers going to Africa, how it felt to receive that research grant, how the humid air felt against her skin, the natives' smiles when she would come into their villages with medicine.

But everything after that is a blur – there are pieces here and there. _A wolf_, she thinks. _There's a wolf, and I hate him. But I don't hate him. I just want to._ She strains her brain to think of something else, some other piece of the puzzle, and she remembers a brunette. She can almost see her, see her soft skin and expressive brown eyes. Or are they blue? For some reason, she remembers them being both, but knows that isn't scientifically possible. She thinks harder, closes her eyes even tighter, and there's another face that stands out... but it's as if she is looking at it through the crack in a door; it's too far away to make out any details, but if she just focuses a little harder maybe she can –

"Lauren?", Nadia's gentle voice rips her from her focus. "Are you okay?"

Lauren opens her eyes reluctantly. Forcing a smile at the woman, she leans forward and places a gentle kiss to her lips.

"Your lips are chapped", the blonde says absent mindedly as she pulls back. Nadia immediately raises her fingers to brush against the skin, mumbling apologies as she reaches for something – _probably chapstick_, Lauren thinks – in her bag. Lauren grabs her worried hand and stops her, though, offering up a small and genuine smile when the dark haired woman raises an eyebrow at her.

"Your lips were _always _chapped", she offers up.

Nadia laughs, the tears finally slowing, as she leans forward to place several more kisses against Lauren's lips. When she finally breaks the contact, she presses her forehead against the blonde's and breathes deeply.

"I missed you, Lauren."

_Something about this seems so surreal._ _Something about this seems like... it isn't possible. Like I had a dream that my life was completely different._

Then again I

was_ in a coma for 5 years.  
_  
"I had a dream that you died, Nadia", she says softly, images of Nadia's lifeless body suddenly bombarding her senses, making her feel nauseous. Nadia immediately pulls back and looks Lauren in the eyes.

"I am right here, sweetie. I've been right here for 5 years. And I would have happily waited forever for you", the dark haired woman softly kisses Lauren again, "I love you so much."

_'I love you',_ Lauren thinks. _I feel like I've given my heart away to someone else, Nadia._

But how could that have possibly happened?

I haven't left this bed in half a decade.

"I love you too, Nadia. Please, get me out of this bed."

The blonde recalls their condo in the city, the one they left for Africa – the vaulted ceilings and the patio, the small garden Lauren grew every spring only to kill off over the summer months, Nadia's collection of antique cameras on display in the living room. She thought of the bedroom, the pale purple bed sheets Nadia loved so much but Lauren hated, the vast bookshelf that took up an entire wall. She smiled to herself, feeling like she had somehow convinced herself that she would never see any of these things again. And now she could.

"Take me home."


	22. Chapter 22

Lalalaaaa last one for the day everyone! Enjoy!

* * *

"Well", Nadia lead Lauren up the all too familiar stairs leading up to their downtown condo, "welcome home, Lauren Lewis."

She unlocked and opened the door, revealing a scene Lauren feels like she had only seen in her dreams – the furniture was exactly how she remembered, everything is the same place she left it before she went to Africa, even the stained Persian rug Nadia was far too stubborn to throw out (_It was expensive, after all_) was still in the living room. As Lauren slowly walked into the apartment, running her fingers gently over every surface she could reach, Nadia watched her with a smile. She walked up behind Lauren after dropping her bag on the kitchen counter and wrapped her arms around Lauren's waist; the blonde hummed, trying to recommit to her memory the familiar feel of Nadia against her and the smell of her shampoo (_Why does this all make me want to cry?_). The dark haired woman nuzzles Lauren's neck, placing soft kisses to the joint of her neck and shoulder.

"I was thinking, when you're up to it, we could go out. There's a bar downtown that opened a while ago and I bet you would love it."

"The Dal", Lauren says immediately, her senses again being bombarded by what she can only assume as images from dreams or hallucinations she's had over the past 5 years – she see's an old wooden bar complete with pool tables and Irish folk music playing, and a small older man bartending; he looks at her and smiles, and though his face is a blur, she feels warmth emanating off of him. Nadia spins Lauren around, breaking her vision just as his face starts to clear, and eyes her.

"Yeah... how did you know?"

The blonde shrugs.

_But that place is only in my dreams... right?_

"Just a hunch? I must have heard someone mention it in passing."

Nadia nods, her eyebrow still raised at her, before placing a chaste kiss to her lips.

"Well, guess-master Lauren, when you're feeling up to it we should –"

"Tonight!", Lauren blurts out. "I mean, let's go tonight. I've been in a _bed_ for 5 years, Nadia. I'll get dressed right now. I'd like to go see this place."

Eyebrow still raised, but a smile dancing at the corner of her lips, Nadia retrieves her cellphone from her jacket pocket.

"I'll call my friends from work, if that's okay? Or if you want it to just be you and I?"

_Why don't I want to be alone with my girlfriend? My fiance, even?_

It's been 5 years and all I can think about is ways to avoid being alone with her.

"That sounds good", Lauren forces out, pushing the thoughts down to where they hopefully won't bother her anymore. "Call them up. I'll just shower and we'll head out."

* * *

As Lauren and Nadia walked the few short blocks to the bar, Lauren couldn't help feeling as if she had walked this very path hundreds of times – every turn was like second nature, and she ended up feeling like she was leading Nadia to a place that she had never even been to.

_Right?_

They entered the bar, which was bustling with people, and made their way to a back table where Nadia was meeting her friends from work. They all introduced themselves as Nadia went to retrieve drinks from the bar. Nadia's friends were nice enough; they were all young, attractive people that worked at the same magazine as her girlfriend, and they were all _very_ interested in what Lauren had to say about being in a coma.

"Was it like sleeping?"

"Could you hear people around you talking?"

"Do you even know who the minister is these days?"

_It was so real_, she wanted to say._ I had a life outside of this one._

_If only I could remember it._

_I don't know how I can miss something that apparently never happened, something that I can barely even remember,_

_but I do._

"It was like a long nap", she settled on, thankful for Nadia returning with the drinks before too long had passed._  
_

Nadia and her friends talked casually about work, the dark haired woman's hand never leaving Lauren's as she spoke, except to go retrieve more drinks from the bar. The blonde was disappointed when the bartender was a smiling dark skinned man in a fedora as opposed to the small older gentleman she was expecting, so she let Nadia do all the drink runs, even though she herself was on the edge of the booth. Lauren decided that she would ease herself out of the troubling thoughts that had been plaguing her, and ordered twice as many shots as any one else in her party. After the first two shots, she had closed her eyes for a second to relish the warmth, and noticed that the door obscuring one of her memories had opened just a bit further. So, she ordered another round.

It was if the more Lauren drank, the more that door in her mind opened up. She could see their face – _her_ face, Lauren was now _sure_ it was a woman. She was blonde, the long wavy locks cascading down over her shoulders. And she had piercing green eyes, so piercing that somehow Lauren could make them out even though the rest of the woman's features were clouded by uncertainty. She took another shot, and she could make out the woman's soft lips, curled upwards in the largest shit-eating grin Lauren had ever seen. They seemed familiar, _she_ seemed so familiar, and Lauren is determined to finally get a look at her.

The problem Lauren was running into, however, was that the clearer the vision she had when she closed her eyes to try to catch a glimpse at the mystery woman that was plaguing her got, the more her reality became blurry and uncertain. Nadia kept tapping her shoulder and asking her if she was okay, to which the blonde would slur out reassurances and orders for more shots.

"Lauren", Nadia said gently, "I think you've had more than enough. Maybe we should just go back h –"

"No!", Lauren all but yelled, having to focus much harder than she wanted to on keeping her words even remotely understandable. "No. I'm okay. Just a few more."

Sighing in resignation, Nadia went to the bar and returned only a few short moments later with the shots Lauren had asked for. She took both of them in succession, fighting back the nausea that threatened to overwhelm her as the warmth spread. She closed her eyes, screwed them shut as tightly as she could, and finally she could see her. See her soft skin, her blonde curls, her smile, her lips, her nose, her eyes, she was so clear now that Lauren could count every single eyelash. Without meaning to, Lauren raised her hand in an attempt to touch her but only succeeded in knocking Nadia's drink over. Without opening her eyes, even when Nadia started yelling at her for not paying attention, Lauren tried even harder to reach out and touch the woman in her mind. As she got closer to her, small pieces of memories with the woman came back to her – playing pool with her at The Dal, laughing at her as she attempted (and failed) to flip a pancake in the pan, going over the newspaper crossword with her, trying her hardest to keep up with the woman as they jogged through the park. And as she got even closer, more pieces started to fall into place – kissing her in the rain outside the bar, making love tangled in purple sheets, and a single whispered '_I love you_' with her head resting on the other woman's chest.

"_Tamsin_..."

Suddenly, everything fell in to place. With her eyes still closed, Lauren let the name fall off of her tongue. She could hear the woman's sweet honey voice saying her name, see the way she smiled at her, smell her perfume as if she was standing right in front of her.

"Tamsin."

Her eyes shot open as she heard loud and booming laughter – Lauren looked around for Nadia but she was nowhere to be found. In fact, the lively bar she was just in had been replaced by literally _nothing_. Save for a large man sitting quite a ways away from her, there was nothing here but darkness. Confused and scared, Lauren went to brush errant strands of her hair out of her face, but her hand hit something hard; she pulled the obstruction off her head, and found Tamsin's prized helmet in her hands. Her fear replaced with anger, and her confusion replaced with bravery as she laid her other hand on the hilt of the sword that had somehow found it's way back to her side, Lauren charged towards the only other figure in the expanse.

"That didn't take nearly as long as I expected it to, Lauren!", Odin laughs again as she approaches him, replacing the helmet on her head. "I had _years_ of your life with your former lover planned; a wedding, even_ children_!"

"You are a sick man", she spits at him. Her head is still spinning; she can't decide what is real or what isn't, if _this_ is the dream or _that _was the dream, if she's even _dreaming_ or just stuck in some terrible inner circle of hell.

"Bite your tongue – you are starting to sound like our beloved Tamsin, human."

They share intense eye contact, neither daring to budge or speak – Lauren holds her ground, Tamsin's sword drawn, though it is much heavier than she thought it would be; Odin with his hands behind his back, regarding the surprising human seriously. Without his throne, Lauren notes he looks old and tired, worn down by thousands of years of ruling his famous valkyrie warriors. What feels like an eternity passed (and it very well could have – the doctor doubts time exists in whatever plane she has found herself in) before Lauren's arm finally gives way to the weight of the sword and she has to sheath it. She sighs as she looks up at him.

"Now what?"

"Now", he says solemnly, "you simply have to choose."

She straightens her back and steels her jaw, already moving her hand to grab the hilt of the sword again.

"Nothing is ever as easy as _choosing_."

"Oh, but _this_ is."

He raises a massive, scar-riddled hand, and snaps his fingers once. Suddenly, the black fades to a place just as familiar to her as it is now foreign – her apartment on The Light fae compound. He snaps again, and Nadia appears.

"This woman represents your past – everything in your past life that you longed and fought for. She represents everything you _could_ have. Many years of your life were spent with her", he looks at Nadia (_Or is that just the image of Nadia?; _Lauren isn't sure) and let's out a heaving breath, "and from what I can see you loved her very much."

He returns her gaze to Lauren just in time to see her breath hitch in her throat. He smiles sickeningly at her as he snaps his fingers again – now, Tamsin appears. In her full valkyrie regalia, she looks as beautiful as Lauren remembers her (_How long ago was it that I saw you, Tamsin? It feels like years now_).

"And my daughter", he walks over to Tamsin's seemingly frozen form, placing a large hand on her unmoving shoulder, "represents the unknown. You are a human, and she is valkyrie. She is destined to live forever and serve forever, while _you_... you could die at any moment. For all you know, you're already dead."

"But I'm _not_ dead. Not yet."

"No", he smiles at her again, "not yet. So, use your life. And choose."

Lauren looks back and forth between the two women, confused about what Odin is asking her to do – Nadia is dead. Nadia and her are over, they were over far before Bo stabbed her and ended the dark haired woman's life in the middle of Lauren's apartment.

"I don't understand. Nadia is _dead_. And even if she _wasn't_, I love Tamsin. I would choose her, over and over again."

"What you are failing to see her, human, that I am not simply offering you a choice between these two women. Choose Tamsin and the road will be filled with uncertainty. Choose your former lover, and I will bring her _back_."

Lauren's jaw dropped.

"You... you can do that?"

"I will bring her back, and you can resume your life with her from where it truly left off, before your Ash cursed her and used his trickery to enslave you to the fae."

Lauren can't seem to catch her breath – the possibility of being able to go back to her life before the fae, to be with Nadia just as she had been all of those years ago, was too much to wrap her head around. But maybe that was the point; she didn't _want _to wrap her head around it. Without all of the things that had happened to her after she signed her life away to the fae, she would have never met Bo, which means she would have never met Tamsin. They may not be perfect, and they may have quite a few obstacles in their way, but Lauren loves Tamsin.

Nothing is going to change that.

_Not even Nadia_, the doctor thinks sadly.

"No", Lauren says confidently, "I'm sorry, but no. I choose Tamsin."

Odin smiles at her, but it's different than the sickeningly sweet smile she had grown used to – it is all hatred and discontent, as if he was hoping that she would choose Tamsin over Nadia.

"Then you must kill Nadia. And I want to be clear to you, Lauren..."

He walks over to Nadia's frozen form, and wraps a massive hand around her throat. Her body suddenly becomes animated, her hands coming up to claw at his massive wrist as she struggles for air. Odin takes his free hand and brings up the woman's shirt to just above her midsection, revealing to Lauren something that made her turn and empty the contents of her stomach as soon as she realized that it meant – there, on the soft dark skin of Nadia's stomach, was the long scar from where Bo's dagger had killed her back in Lauren's apartment over a year ago.

"I have already brought her back – this is no _trick_, human, no illusion. You must _kill_ her to escape."


	23. Chapter 23

"No", Lauren whispers. She shakes her head angrily, and stomps her foot down. "_No_! I won't kill her. I _won't_."

"Then you choose the other?", Odin asks with an eyebrow raised. He releases his hold on Nadia's throat, dropping her gasping body to the floor where it returns to it's previously frozen state. "You choose instead to end _Tamsin's_ life for the sake of your human one?"

"No!"

Lauren squares her shoulders at him, rage and fear becoming thick in her throat as she goes to speak.

"I choose _neither_", she says defiantly. "I refuse to kill either of them."

"You have to choose one, human. It is the only way."

The even meter and calm tone of voice he maintains unsettles Lauren even further. One of the women she could be killing would be his _daughter_, yet he seems completely unaffected by it - in fact, Lauren would go as far as to think he is _encouraging_ her to choose Tamsin over Nadia. She wonders if this was how Bo felt, all those years ago at the glass factory on the waterfront when the fae tried to force her to choose. Bo, ever brave and noble-hearted, chose the side that she thought needed her - the _humans_. Now Lauren had found herself in a similar seemingly impossible position, only this time there _wasn't_ a third option.

Or... _Was_ there?

"I could never kill Nadia", Lauren begins and she slowly unsheathes the sword. "She was my first love, and deserved _so_ much more than what she got because of me."

Lauren raises the blade, holding the hilt firmly with both hands, studying her reflection in the gleaming metal.

"And Tamsin... Tamsin is the strongest, most amazing person I know. She is beautiful, inside and out, no matter how much she wants to hide that from the world", Lauren sighs, wishing she could see her valkyrie's smile one more time. "I love her more than I could ever explain to anyone, more than I even really understand."

Odin, growing impatient, stomps up to Lauren. His voice is abrasive and angry, pulling the human from her thoughts on these two women that mean so much to her but represent completely opposite sides of the spectrum of her life.

"What will it be, human?"

Lauren smiles sadly at him before bringing the sharp blade up to her own throat, pressing it just hard enough against her pulse point to earn a small bubble of blood.

"Just tell your daughter that I love her."

With that, she dragged the blade swiftly across her throat, only feeling the pain for a second before her knees gave out and she fell to the ground. The last thing Lauren saw before she descended into darkness was Tamsin's still frozen form across from her.

_I'm so sorry Tamsin..._

* * *

"I don't understand what's taking so long", Bo said impatiently as she sparred with Dyson. Kenzi had long since passed out back in Tamsin's room, too many glasses of mead catching up to her in the worst way, resulting in Dyson having to carry her unconscious form through the snow storm – for what it's worth, Tamsin did warn her after the small human's third glass that she was going to really regret it. And after her fourth glass, an hour of throwing up, and a drunken half-tumble down the stairs, Kenzi was still reluctant to admit Tamsin was right.

Tamsin looked up at her from her place on the stairs, where she had taken to braiding Hanna's hair. Eisa had left just minutes after Lauren had, but not before giving a stern lecture to her younger sister. The valkyrie had no time for Eisa's reprimands, however, being far too focused on worrying about her girlfriend to pay just another one of her older sister's _many_ lectures any mind.

"My test took_ days_, Bo." She finished another complicated section of Hanna's braid, happy she hadn't forgotten how to do this in her many years away. Hanna hummed a tune happily as her sister finished up the braid – Tamsin was happy that Hanna hadn't forgotten _her_. When the valkyrie was here last, Hanna was just barely old enough to hold a sword. Let alone remember the argument between Tamsin and Odin that resulted in her packing up her things and deciding to stay on Earth. "It's different for every one. Brynja's took a _week_."

As if on cue, Brynja emerged from the room that Lauren had followed Odin in to almost 10 hours ago now. Hanna noticed Lauren's pale, limp body hanging off of her sister's shoulder first, her pained gasp causing the group to look up in her direction. Tamsin let out a cry immediately; she wrapped her hand over Hanna's eyes and turned the girl into her body so she didn't have to see the horrific scene before her. Hanna let out soft tears into Tamsin's stomach as the valkyrie watched her older sister carry Lauren's lifeless body with a smirk on her face. The only thing holding Bo back from driving her sword into the woman's chest was Dyson, his strong arms hooked under her shoulders. Brynja drops Lauren's body not so gently on the floor at the bottom of the stairs just below the throne before she walks up to Tamsin, who sends Hanna away, with her grin growing larger with every step she takes. She again stops mere inches from Tamsin's face, their breaths mingling angrily in the small space left between them.

"Poor poor Tamsin", the larger woman says as she uses her index finger to wipe some of Lauren's blood off of her breastpiece. "Looks like your human didn't make it."

She sticks the bloody finger in her mouth, relishing the metallic taste without breaking eye contact.

"My condolences, dear sister."

Odin returns to the hall just as Tamsin is delivering a solid punch to her sister's nose, rendering her unconscious instantly. Her body falls to the ground with a loud clank of her metal armor on the stone, but Tamsin doesn't mind her sister's lack of consciousness as she gets on top of the other woman and begins to mercilessly pound her fists into her face. The valkyrie doesn't hear her father's command through her sobs, and only slows her blows when he comes up to her and offers her a hand to stand with. She takes it, reluctantly, and stands while wiping her cheeks with the back of her bloodied hands. Looking down at Brynja's pulpy face, Tamsin is almost angry when she sees her sister's chest still rising and falling steadily.

"Your human was brave", he says solemnly as he ascends the steps and falls tiredly down on to his throne. "Braver than most _valkyries_, even. I was impressed."

Tamsin slowly walks to Lauren's lifeless body, choking back the second wave of sobs as she kneels down and moves the blood soaked hair out of her face.

"What happened?" she asks quietly as she drags her finger tip slowly over her features. Even now, Tamsin can't help but think of how beautiful she is.

"I asked her to choose between you and the one known as Nadia."

Bo finally stops struggling against Dyson when she hears Odin say Nadia's name.

"Nadia?", the succubus asks, all of her anger being dulled for the moment by her confusion. "Why _Nadia_?"

"She refused to choose", Odin continued, choosing to ignore Bo's question.

"What do you mean, _refused_ to choose? How did this happen?", Tamsin yelled angrily, standing as she reached for her sword – remembering all too late that she had sent it with Lauren. Lauren, who was now dead. Lauren, who had used Tamsin's own blade to end her life. The blonde has to swallow down bile before she can speak again. "How did she end up with her throat slit by _my_ sword if there wasn't even a fight?!"

Odin looks at his daughter with a sad smile tugging at his features – Tamsin was always the most impassioned of his four brave daughters. Eisa was always far too busy running around with boys to ever take her duties seriously, the complete opposite of Brynja, who spent far too much time trying to best her fellow valkyrie's to find joy in much else other than battle. Tamsin, however, fought bravely and valiant, and brought him more heroes than he could count. She was able to care passionately about her duty but still care about her sisters – both biological, and the sisters she gained when she came of age as a valkyrie. _The spitting image of their mother _Odin would often think, remembering now more than ever how Tamsin's mother would constantly be reminding him that not all heroes die in battle; there are just as many heroes that die for the sake of others so that they may live as there are losing their lives in bloody battle. If this was true, then Lauren was as much of a hero as any of them. Though she would never wish the curse that love brought upon his own daughter, he can see why she would fall for _this_ woman.

"She would have rather ended her own life than take the life of another."

The room was quiet lest for the valkyrie's quiet sobs. Bo, who had suddenly bust in to tears when she neared Lauren's rapidly cooling body as Tamsin was arguing with her father, smiles through her tears and looked up at the blonde.

"Sounds like something only Lauren would do, doesn't it."


	24. Chapter 24

Well guys, here it is! The 'final' chapter! (As if I could leave it the way it had ended in the last chapter!) Expect an epilogue some time soon, and I am maaaaaybe working on a sequel. (Who am I kidding I am totally working on a sequel; keep an eye out for in in the next few weeks.)

Thank you so much for reading - you guys are all pretty much the best, I'm not gonna lie! It's been real!

* * *

"You bring her _back_", Tamsin says quietly, her voice raising as her anger does. "You can _do_ that. You've done it _before_. So do it _now_."

Odin eyes her seriously from his throne, not flinching at all when Tamsin's voice raises to a yell and she ascends the stairs towards him. He barely bats an eyelash as she fumbles to find the small forgotten dagger strapped to her thigh and pulls it out, holding the feeble blade above her head as if she really believed it could do any damage.

"It is notthat simple, child. You know this."

"Not that _simple_? You brought her exgirlfriend back just for fucking _kicks_!", she yells again. Her eyes frantically dart back and forth, and hot angry tears begin to fall as she brings the blade up to her throat. The hard swallow she makes is visible by the blade coming just that much closer to her skin, threatening to cut her already. "Then take _me_! What if I do it _myself_? Then _will_ you bring her back?"

Bo reluctantly rises from Lauren's side to snatch the dagger from Tamsin's shaking hands - the valkyrie turns and states daggers at the brunette through her tears, but ultimately falls to her knees to sob angrily into her hands. Odin extends a sympathetic hand to her shoulder but it is immediately shaken off.

"Tamsin", Bo says softly as she bends down, swallowing down her own tears, "Lauren wouldn't want that. You know she wouldn't want that."

"I don't care. I don't _care_! I just need her back", Tamsin sobs. She looks up at Odin, his hand still extended out as if he is too busy try to process the scene before him to put forth effort into pulling it back to his side. "Please just let me see her one more time, daddy. _Please_."

The brunette finds it hard to keep the tears down as she hears Tamsin begging, and a few strays fall down her cheek as she helps the valkyrie stand. Tamsin continues to beg, mumbling promises to her father that she is sure are falling on deaf ears. Odin simply stares on, still trying to think of a way to console his daughter.

"He said he _can't_ do it, Tamsin. He said-"

"There might be a way", the gruff voice of Odin interrupts. He sighs and wrings his large hands together as he looks at his feet. His voice is quieter than Tamsin thinks she has ever heard it, filled with reservations and – thought Tamsin hardly believes her ears – _regret_. "But it will come at a price of which the human herself might reject if she had the choice."

"What is it"?, Tamsin blurs out. "Just tell me what it is, I'll do anything."

"Lauren Lewis showed immeasurable bravery today. She passed a test that takes even trained warriors days, _weeks_, to get through. I withheld from her that which she finds the most important and shielded it with a time in which her life was nothing but easy. But still, she made her way back to you." He smiles almost fondly at the thought. "I would be lying to you both, and to myself, if I said I was not impressed."

"So", Bo says, suspicious, "you'll bring her back? Because she _impressed_ you?"

"I will. But I shall _only_ bring her back as a valkyrie. She will be forever indebted to me and to the honor of battle. She was a heroic soldier far before she was a heroic doctor working for your Light far, and far before she gave her own life so that she would not have to end another. She is noble and has earned this honor, but only in exchange of her oath to _me_."

Bo shouts 'no' just as Tamsin shouts 'yes', and they both send side long glances at the other filled with confusion and anger.

"What do you mean _no_, Bo?!", Tamsin spits at the brunette, pushing herself out of the supportive embrace she had on her. "How could you not want this? How could you not want Lauren back? _Forever_?"

"Lauren just spent _years_ indebted to the Light fae. _Enslaved_ to them. Do you think she would want to trade _that_ slavery for another?", Bo shakes her head, the anger bubbling inside of her slowing the fall of her tears. "One that she can never get out of? _Forever_?"

Tamsin looks over to Lauren's body, growing colder by the second, hair matted to her face with sticky blood, her clothing faring no better. She looks to Dyson, who has stood frozen in place across the room, his eyes not leaving Lauren's body since Brynja had unceremoniously dropped in in front of the throne. Ahe looks to Bo, fire in her eyes and her hands balled up in to angry fists, the dagger she snatched away from the valkyrie still hell tightly in her hand.

_Get control of yourself_, she thinks. _What would Lauren want?_

The blonde closes her eyes and takes a deep, hitching breath through her slowing sobs and pictures Lauren's smile – the way her chin would dimple when she laughs, the sparkle in her eyes when she would joke with Tamsin, how her eyebrows would knit together in worry whenever Tamsin came home from work, the way she kissed Tamsin at the end of the day as they lay in bed together. Tamsin remembered the many talks they shared over what the doctor wanted in life – how she wanted a small wedding in the woods someday, how she hoped her busy parents would make time for her special day, the white picket fence and the Corgi she always wanted, the baby names she had picked out long before she had even met Tamsin, and every single paint swatch she had hidden away in her utilities drawers, each labeled for the room the color would eventually cover in Lauren's dream house close to the bay.

Lauren planned a life that she never got to have because the Light fae took it from her. And now, her love of Tamsin had ended any chance she ever had of getting married in front of her closest friends and family, her father giving her away, raising little Ethan or Charlotte in a beautiful home by the water with a perfectly kept garden and a small, happy dog named Albert. Taking another deep breath, Tamsin knew that Lauren deserved these things.

Even more so, Tamsin knew that she wanted to give these things to Lauren.

"I don't care", Tamsin says quietly as she opened her eyes. "I know Lauren. Bo, you know Lauren, too."

Bo slowly nods, her grip on the dagger starting to loosen as her resolve does and the tears start to fall again. She _did _know Lauren. She always _had_.

"Lauren deserves to have all those things she whispered to me about when she thought I wasn't listening. But I _was_, daddy, I _was_ listening. And I want her to have all of that. I want to give all of that to her."

Odin fights the proud smile that tugs at his lips – he knew what Tamsin would choose probably before she did. He always knew she was a noble woman, and an even more noble warrior. But in any of her many lifetimes she had never loved. His other daughters – biological or not – had each found love at least _once_. Even Brynja, who held her duty higher than all else, had fallen in love once. And yes, there was a clause that made loving _difficult_. But it wasn't always _impossible_. Tamsin's mother had taught him more than just the different kinds of heroes – she had taught him that love doesn't make a warrior weak. It makes her stronger and more determined. She would always say, _love drives the woman to come home because there is something worth coming home to_. Looking at his daughter, her blonde hair hanging around her face, cheeks and eyes reddened from crying, Odin did not see her as weak. He saw her as _strong_. Much stronger than he had ever viewed her.

"So", he says as the smile finally breaks free, "what will it be Tamsin? I leave it up to you."

"Bring her back to me. Bring her back to _us_. The _world_ needs her." Tamsin smiles through her tears and looks down, almost embarrassed to be saying this in front of her father – the _god_ of _heroes_. "_I_ need her."

Odin rises and startles everyone in the room by pulling Tamsin in to a tight embrace.

"You have done well, Tamsin", he whispers as he places a soft kiss to the top of her head before he pulls back and smiles broadly at her, and then to Bo and Dyson.

"It shall be done."


	25. Epilogue

Hey ya!

Keep your eyes peeled for the sequel folks - I have it started but don't want to upload it until I can do the first few chapters at once. It'll follow the beginning of Lauren and Tamsin's crazy journey together, their binding ceremony, their actual wedding, kids, and what happens when the family is finally torn apart by the inevitability of the two women being called away to a very important battle... and everything that happens in between! Expect the sequel to be a doozy - I have a_ lot_ planned.

Thank you again everyone for reading; I appreciate every single review and piece of feedback I was given. So much. You're the reason I even like doing all of this in the first place. n_n

- C

* * *

"What's taking so long?", Bo whispers –_ loudly_ – to Tamsin. The valkyrie sends her daggers in her direction, looking around to make sure no one else has heard her.

"Shut _up_, succuslut. She's coming. _Soon_."

"It's taking _forever_", Kenzi adds with a pout, not at all attempting to be even half as quiet as Bo. "Why is it taking _so_ long? This guy has been blabbering on for like, ever."

Tamsin peers around Bo to send a dirty look to the human, who quickly returns her gaze to focus in front of her. The valkyrie lets out a sharp sigh and sends an apologetic glance to the speaker, who had stopped speaking to glare at her. Everyone in the feasting hall had turned to send her pointed looks, actually, causing her laugh nervously as she motions with her hand for the speaker to finish. Eisa, who was sitting in the first of the five rows of filled chairs, chuckles as she shook her head at her younger sister's blushing. Brynja, standing on the opposite side of Odin's throne as Tamsin and the rest of the gang were, stood stoically, avoiding any and all contact with her sister (her face was still a cut up and bruised mess from when Tamsin had jumped on her a week ago; she hadn't said a single word to Tamsin directly, though Hanna had communicated to her that Brynja had let it slip that she was also impressed by how the past few days had played out). Hanna was sitting on Odin's lap, doing her best to avoid fidgeting and not doing a very good job at it – the young blonde kept giving goofy faces to Tamsin, who had to try very hard to not return them and earn a giggle from her.

The hall was filled with heroes and valkyries alike, all piled in to the seats in front of the stairs to welcome their newest sister to their rite. In preparation for this moment, after Odin had made good on his promise (And after Lauren and Tamsin had gotten in to an argument that ended up becoming physical – she wasn't mad that Tamsin had brought her back, in fact she was happy to just be able to look into her eyes again; but the idea of trading her indentured servitude to the Light fae for an indentured servitude to Odin didn't sit well with Lauren at first. After learning the conditions of this service, as no valkyries ever thought of it as any kind of _slavery_, Lauren had calmed. The same, however, could not be said for Bo, who was still angry at the valkyrie for making such a rash and in her mind selfish decision for the doctor – though she was happy beyond words to have Lauren back in her life.), Lauren had to be swept away by the elders to learn how to properly control her powers and use them to the best of their potential in the event that she was called to battle. It had taken several days, during which she was banned from seeing Tamsin or anyone else lest they be a distraction to her studying and training. Now, a week later, Tamsin, Bo, Dyson, and Kenzi stood anxiously next to the throne to await Lauren's introduction. Tamsin fiddled nervously with the straps of her armor, and carefully readjusted her helmet as she heard the speaker begin to wrap up his speech.

"And without a moment more of hesitation", the old man said smiling out at the crowd before he raised his arms, instructing everyone in the room that was sitting to now stand, "I introduce to you all your newest sister in arms."

The door in the back of the feasting hall slowly opened and flooded the large room with light, making the figure that was walking in appear to be a heaven sent angel. Odin then stood, plopping Hanna down to stand with her sisters, and descended the stairs slowly. Everyone bowed their head at him as he made his way through the aisle in the middle of the rows of chairs, and turned to follow him with their eyes as he walked to greet their newest sister with a proud smile on his face.

"May I present to you", Odin said as he approached the figure, "Lauren Lewis."

The doors finally closed and as Tamsin's eye adjusted to the restored natural lighting of the room, her eyes fell upon Lauren – her honey hair fell around her shoulders in loose curls, the sunlight catching her armor perfectly. Tamsin never thought she'd see Lauren in the armor that she herself had worn so many times, but was happy to see that she looked stunning in the metal and flowing silks that adorned her body (though she knew she shouldn't be surprised – Lauren looked good in everything). Her winged helmet sat perfectly atop her head, a small symbol engraved in the center of it to match the larger version of the same symbol that was engraved in to the left side of her breastpiece. She smiled nervously at the crowd, her cheeks tinted in a blush as she she bowed her head to the cheering that filled the hall. Odin slowly directed her with a hand on her back through the aisle and up to the stage to join her friends.

"I can't believe it", Brynja muttered as Lauren got close enough for her to clearly see the symbol. "I can _not_ believe it!"

The large woman stomped down the steps and pushed her way through the crowed gathering to the side of the chairs and quickly made her way out of the feasting hall. The group at the top of the strairs regarded her with a raised eyebrow, but Tamsin was far too mesmerized by Lauren to question her sister's rude behavior.

"What _does_ that big symbol on her armor mean?", Kenzi stage whispers to Tamsin as Lauren slowly approaches them, stopping to shake hands and accept gifts from the people that fill the hall. Tamsin's eye well up with tears when she recognizes the symbol – it is something only one other valkyrie in the history of their kind has been permitted to wear. Her _mother_. The symbol, appears to those that don't know it as an 'X' in a diamond, was an ancient and meaningful mark that valkyries had sought to earn for centuries now, Tamsin and her sisters included. Their mother was the only woman known to earn that honor, and the fact that Odin would bestow this same honor to Lauren made Tamsin's knees weak and her heart swell with pride for her girlfriend.

"It's a gungnir", the valkyrie says quietly.

"A gun-what-now?"

"A gungnir." Tamsin sends a dazzling smile Lauren's direction, who looks up just in time to catch it and return it in full. "It means, strength. It never misses it's mark, and always makes it back to where it belongs."

Finally Lauren and Odin make their way up the stairs to the throne. Tamsin extends her hand to Lauren as she clears the last step, which she happily takes and threads her fingers with the blonde's. Tamsin resists the urge to pull Lauren in to a much needed kiss, and instead settles for squeezing her hand reassuringly. Odin stood before them, and placed a hand on either of their shoulders. He surprises both women by pulling them in to a massive hug, causing the entire room to erupt in applause and cheering.

"You two are to be bound for a very long time – _forever_, to be frank", he winks at Tamsin and smiles at Lauren, who blushes and nods – the 'binding' of valkyrie's is an intricate and delicate ritual that ends in a large ceremony very similar to a human wedding, and must be then physically _consummated_ in a ritual that is just as tricky as the actual ceremony, that she had spent the past few days learning about. It would take time to prepare for, and it would be at times a very stressful affair, but Lauren couldn't be happier to be sharing this very special experience with the woman she loved so much. The woman she risked her life for, and who would risk her life for Lauren's own – Lauren wouldn't change anything about how everything had played out, though if she had to do it all again she would remember to take Tamsin's gun with her everywhere she goes on nights she is home alone. "It is our way."

"I know, father." Tamsin looks over to Lauren and fails to keep down the smile that is threatening to break her face in two. All of the things that she can give Lauren now fly through her brain at once and it is all she can do to stop herself from excitedly jumping up and down. She settles for extending her free hand to her father, who takes it with both of his own and shakes it excitedly.

"I'm okay with that."


End file.
